


fortitude

by ariquitecontrary



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Core Four Friendship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Falling In Love, Famous Jughead, Jughead Jones-centric, Slow Burn, widow betty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2020-03-04
Packaged: 2020-03-07 11:29:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 99,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18872308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariquitecontrary/pseuds/ariquitecontrary
Summary: After Academy Award winner, and Hollywood's Troubled Star, Jughead Jones is arrested for a DUI, he's sent back to Riverdale with one task: Reconnect with the person he used to be or prepare to lose out on the role of a lifetime.The last place he wants to be is in Riverdale, but when he meets a beautiful young widow he can't stay away from, he's forced to confront his past and the mistakes that lay within it.And maybe, just maybe, he finds something that he never even knew was missing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> WOW. I know what y'all are thinking 'Can you PLEASE focus on your other WIPs, Ari? PLEASE?' The answer is yes, but look, I've had this story written for MONTHS now and I have been dying to share it so... I am posting it since Painted in Flames is almost over. In this story, Jughead is the literal embodiment of Asshole to The World, Sweet to His Girl.
> 
> Also this is loosely based on Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! Which is one of my fav rom-coms. :’)  
>  
> 
> Impulse control? I don't know her.  
> But either way, I hope you enjoy this story and let me know if you like it. <3

Jughead Jones is fuming. 

In retrospect, he knows that drinking out of a flask at the Oscars is probably not the best idea. Especially not when he’s surrounded by all the Hollywood icons he had admired as a child, but he can’t help it. He’s pissed and the reason behind his anger is a 5’7 girl with sleek black hair and red painted lips. He’s not sure who the fuck decided to sit him next to his ex-girlfriend, but he was going to have a serious talk with them. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Jade Everton gushes from the right of him, ignoring his drinking. “I knew you could do it, baby. Knew that Oscar was yours the moment I saw your movie.” 

Jughead takes another swig of the whiskey in the flask and clenches his jaw once he swallows. He knows that it wouldn’t be in his best interest to start a scene at the Oscars, but he feels like he might snap if he has to listen to Jade’s bullshit for a second longer. Truth be told, he could have handled her for one night. It wouldn’t have been _that_ big of a deal to him. It’s not like he hated her or anything. Jade is actually a very sweet girl and their relationship had never had any serious problems. He could handle her, no problem. But then she had kissed him when they announced him as the winner of the Best Actor Academy Award. He hadn’t been expecting it at all, but as soon as he had stood up, she was standing up too and the next thing he knew, painted red lips that tasted like clay were pressed against his. He had wanted to push her away and ask just what the fuck she was playing at, but he knew that wouldn’t have gone over well. Aside from starting a scene, Jade was America’s Sweetheart. Everyone loved her and the last thing he needed was to get caught shoving her from him. People already hated him for the breakup. He knew that he would be the one that was blamed for their fallout, especially after Jade wrote a damn song about it, and that just pissed him off even more. He knows that the press is going to have a field day over the kiss and he’s already annoyed just thinking about it. 

“Don’t call me baby,” he hisses so that only she can hear. Her red lips pout at him and he rolls his eyes. A year ago he would have fallen to his knees over that damn look, but not anymore. Now it just made her look like a child who wasn’t used to getting their way. And it wasn’t cute. 

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been rude to me all night.” 

“No, I haven’t. I’m just not comfortable with you kissing me like we’re still together when you know that we aren’t. It’s not okay, Jade. And it’s especially not okay to do it at the Oscars where the entire world will be able to see it. We aren’t together anymore, stop acting like we are.”

“Oh, please.” Now she’s the one rolling her eyes, pout completely gone. “That breakup was a mistake and you know it. You and I were meant to be together, Juggie. You know that just as much as I do.” She reaches out and grabs ahold of his hand. Her touch is cold and her black nails are so long that he feels like she could kill him with them. He used to think they were sexy, but now he wants them off of him. Her words finally register in his head and his face goes white as he glares at her. That’s a personal nickname; something only his closest friends call him and the fact that she’s using it right now, irkes him to no end. 

“Don’t call me Juggie again.” 

He gets up from his chair and walks away from her. He knows it’s going to look bad and he’ll probably get an earful about it from his manager, but he doesn’t care. He can’t stand to sit next to Jade for another second. He doesn’t hate her, but God she makes it hard to like her sometimes. 

Their relationship hadn’t exactly been what you would call conventional. She was a guest star on a series that Jughead had done a few years back and the fans had loved their on-screen chemistry so much that they ended up becoming an actual couple in the show. From there, their PR managers had decided that it wouldn’t hurt to give the public something to talk about by acting as if they were in an actual relationship. At first, that’s all it had been, but over time it had grown into something more. In fact it was so much “more” that after her character was killed off the show, they still continued dating for a year and a half. But she wanted too much. She wanted things that Jughead wasn’t willing to give her and so he broke it off, but of course that’s when she finally decided that she could suddenly live without all those things. He wasn’t looking to go back though. That’s not the kind of person he is. 

The cold air feels good on his face once he’s outside. He decides to send a text to his manager to get someone to come pick him up. There’s no way he can go back inside again. He can’t go back into that room and feel like something underneath a magnifying glass, not with the way he’s already feeling.

There are quite a few paps lingering outside and they notice him immediately. They start yelling things at him and snapping pictures, but Jughead just angles his body away and ignores them. His fingers are itching for a cigarette, but he doesn’t even try to humor himself by looking for some in his pockets; he knows he won’t find any. So instead, he pulls out his flask again and takes another drink just as a camera goes off. He refrains from wincing. No doubt that’ll definitely get him in trouble. He just continues to dig himself into a deeper hole. 

He’s about to turn around, suck it up, and go back inside when he sees Jade coming down the steps to him. He clenches his fists as she gets closer. For the first time all night, he lets himself really look at her. He can’t even lie to himself; she looks gorgeous tonight. She’s wearing a tight fitted red dress and the black heels she has on make her look even taller than she already is. She’s a beautiful girl, there’s no denying it, but Jughead doesn’t give a shit about her looks. He cares about everything that is under that and for Jade, as much as he did like her as a person, there wasn’t much underneath that he was interested in anymore. 

“Go back inside,” he groans when she finally reaches him. 

“No. Not until you tell me what the hell your problem is.” 

“I already told you.” 

“That’s bullshit,” she says loudly and he glances towards the paps who suddenly look a lot more interested in them. “I know you still feel something for me, Jughead. Just admit it already and save us all this trouble.” 

“Oh, my God,” he laughs humorlessly before running a hand over his face in frustration. “Whatever you think I feel for you, you’re wrong. Hell, you don’t really feel anything for me either. You just think you do.” 

“You don’t know what I feel.” She takes a step closer to him and places a hand on his shoulder gently. Her voice is calm and sweet, but the look in her eyes is full of anger. “You and I could be amazing together, Juggie. We just need to try again.” 

“Stop fucking calling me that!” He yells, finally snapping. Her eyes go wide in shock and he knows it’s because he’s never yelled at her before. Hell, he’s not sure _anyone_ has ever dared to yell at her before. He doesn’t even mean for it to happen, but he’s drunk and he’s tired and he just wants her _gone_. The paparazzi are having a damn field day with their cameras and he knows he’s going to regret all of this, but he’s so past caring right now. 

“Why not?” She challenges once she gets over the initial shock. 

“Because I’m telling you not to! No one calls me that.” At least no one in Hollywood does. There wasn’t anyone here that he considered close enough to him to call him by that name. He wonders what it says about him as a person that he dated Jade for years and yet he still doesn’t consider her to be close to him. “Seriously, Jade. Get back inside. I don’t want you out here and you’re going to get sick.” It’s freezing out and she’s hardly covered up. 

“Stop telling me what to do! I’ll leave once you admit that you really love me.” 

“Are you serious?” He yells. “I do not love you! Have you lost your fucking mind?” 

“Well, I love you.” 

He goes still. If he didn’t know better, he would think that she actually meant the words she was saying right now. As it is, he _does_ know better and that’s why he knows that she’s full of shit. She doesn’t love him. She loves his fame and the way they look photographed together. She loves his looks and how he used to fuck her, but she doesn’t love _him_. And he is perfectly fine with that. In fact, he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Let me be clear,” he says quietly but with a certain edge to his voice, “I do not want you; not as a girlfriend and definitely not as a lover. I am not in love with you and I never will be, so get over that whole fantasy and leave me the hell alone.” The two of them are glaring at each other, not moving and not saying a word. 

Before anything else can happen, a black Escalade pulls up on the side of the street and Jughead sees his manager, Matt, get out of the car and hold the door open for him. His eyes focus on Jughead before looking at Jade and he frowns. Jughead’s pretty sure that he knows whatever just went down here wasn’t good. 

He walks away and ignores Jade’s shouting, which is easier than expected with everyone else shouting a million and one different questions at him. Once he’s inside the vehicle, he sinks into the leather seat and lets out a long sigh as he loosens his tie. 

“What the hell was that?” 

Just like that, the annoyance seeps through him again. He’d been expecting Matt to tell him something, but he didn’t think it’d be within the first ten seconds of the car ride. Can he just have five minutes to himself? Is that too much to ask for?

“Nothing.” 

“Don’t do that,” Matt says, almost warning. “You two looked like you were having a pretty intense conversation and I know I wasn’t the only one paying attention.” Jughead doesn’t say anything and Matt sighs in a way that lets Jughead know that he’s becoming irritated, not tired. “This is getting out of hand, Jughead. Your attitude is terrible. Do you know how bad it’s going to look when pictures of you two are plastered on every major tabloid? You were painted the villain once before, so why the hell would you set yourself up for a second time?”

“It’s not like I wanted her to follow me! None of this would be happening if you and Cara hadn’t made me do that stupid PR stunt with her.” 

“Stop blaming other people and take responsibility for yourself. We didn’t make you actually fall for her. That was all you, pal. You just had to play nice with her for a couple of hours tonight and you couldn’t even do that.” 

“No, I couldn’t. She’s a fucking nightmare, Matt.” 

“Jughead--.” 

“Look, I know, okay? Everything you’re about to say, I already know it, so can we please not do this right now? I’m really not in the mood.” 

Matt looks like he wants to argue with him before he finally sighs, this time he just sounds tired. “Fine. What do you want to do?” 

“A night out at Pure?” 

It’s a ridiculous name for a club, but it’s Jughead’s favorite place to party at. He can see the turmoil in Matt’s eyes before the blonde rattles off the destination to their driver. Jughead just needs to get a few good drinks in him that aren’t whiskey and relax. Once he’s had a few drinks, he’ll be calmer and this edge will be gone. He deserves a good night. He worked hard for it and he’ll be damned if Jade is going to ruin that for him. 

.

.

.

A gorgeous brunette is draped around his body and he toys with her hair as his lips sloppily kiss her neck. She’s giggling and he’s laughing along with her. He’s not even sure what they’re laughing at, but it doesn’t matter. He’s had enough drinks to feel light and carefree right now. 

“Let’s get out of here,” she begs and Jughead nods like that’s the best thing he’s heard all day and honestly? It just might be. He grabs onto her hand and pulls her over to the bar, stumbling and laughing the whole way, before signaling the bartender. 

“Can I have a bottle of bourbon?” He asks. The bartender looks taken aback, but also a bit starstruck so Jughead knows that he’s aware of who he is. 

“Um, which one?” 

“Whichever is the most expensive.” 

The boy looks taken aback. “We have a six hundred--.” 

“That’s perfect.” Jughead says, pulling out his wallet and slamming down seven hundreds onto the countertop. 

“Sir, have you been drinking?” His voice is a bit shaky like he doesn’t even want to ask the question. Jughead licks his lips. 

“No,” he lies. “Sober as can be, besides I have a driver.” Which isn’t a lie.

The boy still seems uneasy but he hands Jughead over the bottle in the end, so he’ll count it as a win. He pops it open right then and there and takes a huge swig out of it before passing it to the girl next to him. As they stumble their way out of the club, he can see his car parked out front but his driver isn’t inside. He must have went for a walk or something as equally boring. Jughead frowns, not wanting to wait around, before he gets an idea that has him smiling again.

“Where’s your driver?” The girl, he thinks her name is Sara, asks. 

“Doesn’t matter.” He opens up the door and sees that keys are sitting in the console. His driver must be close by. “Come on, get in!” The girl laughs as she does as she’s told. Jughead fumbles around before he finds what he’s looking for. He pushes down on a button and the top of the car rises up. They had switched out the Escalade for one of his many convertibles. “What’s better than a convertible on a cold night?”

“Mr. Jones?” He hears someone yell. He turns around to see his driver, Roger, running towards the car. “Mr. Jones!” 

“Buckle up,” he tells Sara with a playful look. She’s still laughing and it’s a nice sound. Without thinking, he throws the car into drive and takes off speeding down the street. Sara is cackling loudly now and Jughead’s yelling into the wind; it feels amazing against his face and he can’t stop the smile that makes its way onto his lips.

Sara takes off her seatbelt and slides over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him there before offering the bottle of whiskey to him, which he gladly takes and downs like it’s water. 

He takes a few twists and turns and eventually he’s on the outskirts of the city, where there isn’t a lot of traffic, or any at all really, and then he puts more pressure onto the gas pedal. 

“Fast or slow?” He asks the girl as he turns to look at her, both of their hair flowing back in the wind, faces tinged pink from the cold. 

“Fast!” She yells out with a smile, so he listens. “Faster! Faster!” 

Soon he’s passing 100mph. He yells out as he holds the bottle of whiskey up in one hand. Sara then pulls a rolled blunt out of her pocket and lights it up, taking a hit before offering it to him. She places it against his lips and she smiles as he lifts the bottle of alcohol up to her own lips.

A flashing light comes from the side of him and he turns to see a man in a car pointing a camera at him. He silently curses himself for not paying attention to any possible paparazzi following him, but then he realizes that he doesn’t care. He doesn’t care; he’s Jughead Jones and he’s just won his third Oscar. He’s allowed to have a bit of fun tonight.

“Look,” he says as he nods his head towards them. Sara turns and her eyes brighten up at their new company. “Let’s give them something to talk about,” he tells her, and she turns back towards him to grin wickedly. She crawls across the seat and places herself halfway into his lap, kissing his neck and cheeks sloppily. He still has the blunt hanging from his lips, one of his hands holds the bottle of whiskey _and_ the wheel, and with the other he turns towards the camera and flips it off. The flash goes off and he smiles widely. 

Until he hears the police sirens behind him. 

“Oh, fuck.” 

.

.

.

The first thing he notices when he wakes up that morning, is that his head is pounding. His throat burns and he gulps several times to try and make the clogged up feeling go away, but it doesn’t. He can taste vodka, cigarettes, and something else on his tongue and it makes his face scrunch up in distaste. Not wanting to face the sunlight just yet, he decides to keep his eyes closed for a little bit longer. 

He tries to piece the missing parts of last night together as he lays there quietly. The last thing he remembers is leaving the Oscars and getting into a confrontation with his ex girlfriend, Jade Everton. The memory brings a dark cloud over him. He and Jade had broken up a year ago, but she absolutely refuses to move on and leave him alone. He did his best to try and steer clear from her, but of course those assholes sat them next to each other at the award show. He’s well aware that the public eye is still obsessed with their relationship and it was probably for views more than anything else but it didn’t matter. He was going to have a serious talk with someone about that; Jade had been on his ass all night trying to cuddle up to him. It had been an annoyance to say the least. 

He remembers leaving the award show and getting into a fight with her outside. He remembers all of the cameras that had been on them and all of the reporters shouting questions their way. He can’t remember what he told her, but he’s pretty sure that it wasn’t anything good. He can remember the broken look on her face as he left her there by herself, but he can’t remember anything else. 

“Wake up, Jones,” a voice calls out from the room. It’s loud and he winces at the sound but does as he’s told. 

The sunlight is harsh against his eyes and he hisses as he brings a hand up to them to try and shield them away from the rays. He finds that once he sits up, his headache starts to fades and he thanks whatever higher power is out there for small miracles. 

Once his eyes adjust to the light, he looks straight ahead and sees his manager, Matt, standing with Cara, his publicist. Both of them are frowning at him with their hands crossed in front of their chests. They look so serious that he almost wants to laugh. In fact, he would have laughed if he’d thought the action wouldn’t make him throw up all over the place. As it is, he just stares blankly at them. 

“What the hell are you doing here?” His voice is groggy and he’s suddenly aware of the horrible cottonmouth that he has. Instead of answering him, Matt throws a piece of paper onto the bed. Jughead looks down at it in confusion but makes to grab it anyway. It’s a printed out article from the internet and the fact that Matt actually printed it out is a little extreme, but he doesn’t say anything. As soon as he looks down at it, everything comes back to him in waves. In big, bold letters the headlines reads: **Blockbuster or Bender? Jughead Jones Chooses Both.** As far as titles go, it’s lackluster. He’s almost embarrassed by how juvenile it is. 

“Congratulations,” Matt says dryly. “You were actually photographed drinking, driving, smoking, flipping off a camera, _and_ groping some girl all at the same time. Can’t say I’ve ever actually seen someone do that before. Have you, Cara?” 

The stoic blonde shakes her head. “No, I don’t believe I have.” 

Jughead rolls his eyes and winces at the slight pain it causes. “It’s not a big deal. I’m sure Cara can do damage control, right?” He watches as the woman’s eyes narrow down at him. He’s not exactly seeing what the big deal is. He was usually in the tabloids and it was usually always a bunch of bullshit; he’s not sure why this is any different. This was why he had a PR team; for shit like this. 

“No, she can’t actually,” Matt says and he sounds like he’s about to lose his mind. “No one can make that look good! And even if she could, she shouldn’t have to. This is getting way out of hand, Jughead.” 

“Calm down, Matty.” 

Another tabloid is thrown in front of him and this time he sighs when he sees the cover. It’s of him and Jade last night. He looks furious and she looks like she’s about to cry. Sure enough, the picture of their kiss is plastered on there too. The title reads: **Making Up or Breaking Up? Jugade Can Do It All.** It’s just as bad as the other one, but a little worse because they decided to use the stupid ship name for him and Jade. He had always hated it. 

“It’s not a big deal. Some new scandal will come out by tomorrow and next week everyone will forget all about this.”

His manager throws his hands up in frustration. “Jughead! You are not listening to me. You can’t just keep acting out like this. You have a fanbase that’s only going to stick with you for so long. Do you read what they’re writing about you in articles?” Of course he reads it. But does he care? Not really. He doesn’t have anyone to impress. He’s here to act, do movies, and win shit. Which he does. Matt should be _thanking_ him. Instead he’s here scolding him like Jughead’s some kind of child. “This bad boy charm you had was cute when you were first starting out, but now? It’s getting old. You’re twenty-six. It’s time for you to grow up and start acting like an adult.” 

“Please. You’re being dramatic. I’d say my career is doing pretty well, wouldn’t you?” He looks around the room to find his Oscar so he can show them just how well it really is, but Cara clears her throat when he can’t seem to locate it. 

“You dropped it last night during your drunken little tirade.” 

Oh. He can’t lie, that kind of blows. He doesn’t dwell on it though; he has more than enough awards and even two more Academy Awards. Breaking one measly little trophy wasn’t going to put a dent in his career. He’s sure they’d give him another one if he asked. He’s Jughead Jones after all; he got what he wanted these days. 

“Okay, well I still don’t understand why the two of you are here. If it’s to lecture me some more, you may as well leave. I’m not going to sit here and listen to this shit all day. I have more important things to be doing.” 

The two adults in front of him share a look before Matt nods at Cara. She turns back to Jughead and he notices that the icy look in her blue eyes has faded into something a little softer. 

“We weren’t going to tell you this until we knew it was a forsure thing, but I guess any time is as good as now.” She pauses and Jughead motions for her to continue. With a sigh she tells him, “Richard Ryans is directing a new movie and he called us wanting to know if you could audition for the main lead. He actually told us that you were his first and only choice.” 

Jughead nearly jumps out of bed at her words and suddenly he feels completely sober. 

“No fucking way,” he gasps. Richard Ryans was _the_ director. With countless Academy Awards, amongst many others, he was at the top of the top in Hollywood. Starring in one of his movies was the peak of everyone’s career. He didn’t work with just anyone; he worked with the best of the best and if you somehow were able to score a part in his movies while being a newbie, then you too became the best of the best over night. Jughead had been trying to get his attention for years, but it never seemed to work. Until now that is. “That’s amazing!” 

“Well, it _was_ amazing. He’s taking a bit of a breather now. He’s also decided to expand his options and look at a few other actors.” 

Matt’s words are like a bucket of ice cold water being poured over him and he frowns at them. 

“What? Why?” 

“Because he saw _that_.” Matt points to the tabloid cover. “Because he saw a picture of you driving drunk while going over a hundred miles per hour on the front page of every news outlet in Los Angeles! I told you, this is the kind of shit that ruins your career, Jones. This is a life that you’ve worked your ass off for. Are you really going to throw it all away just like that?” 

The words finally get to him in a way that they never have before. He usually just tells Matt that he’s full of shit, but this is different. He doesn’t want to lose out on the opportunity of a lifetime just because of a few mistakes, but honestly? He’s not sure why his personal life has to interfere at all with his work life and the type of jobs he gets. He tells this to Matt and Cara who both take a deep breath as if trying to calm themselves down from doing something drastic. 

“Ryans is a genuine man,” Cara says sternly. “He’s not going to cast some snobby asshole who thinks he’s better than everyone else. And he’s certainly not going to hire someone who’s always in the tabloids for being reckless and causing scenes. It’s bad press and contrary to the popular belief; bad press _is_ worse than no press at all.” 

“He doesn’t want an arrogant dick on his set,” Matt adds and Jughead glares at him. “If you want him to even look at you again, you have got to clean up your act. One more stunt like this and you might lose everything, Jughead. Directors don’t like people who will bring them bad press and lately that’s all you offer.” 

“That’s not true,” he defends childishly. 

Cara lifts up her phone and clicks the screen a few times before talking. “Drugs, Drinking, and Disaster: Jughead Jones Really is The Complete Package. Bar Brawl in Beverly Hills. Jughead Jones Lets His Anger Loose. Academy Award Winner Kicked Out of Club for Fighting. Jughead Jones--.” 

“What the hell are you doing?” He snaps, losing his patience. 

“I’m reading the top trending articles about you on Google. These are all from the past month, by the way. I can go back a little more if you would like.” She pockets her phone and looks back up at him. “You haven’t had a good article written about you in over a year, Jughead. We let you get away with acting like this for far too long. People are starting to lose their interest in you. They see an asshole and they don’t like it. And unlike Justin Bieber who had his own asshole phase, you aren’t young enough to get away with it. You should really be past acting this way. There’s just no excuse for it.” She walks towards his bed and sits down on it gently. She takes Jughead’s hand in her own and he has to refrain from pulling away. “I care about you, Jughead. I’ve been with you since the very beginning and I don’t want to see you ruin your career, but if you don’t put a stop to all the partying and the bad attitude, then you _will_ ruin it. You’ll become nothing but a washed out hasbeen that people will forget about. I don’t want that for you.” 

She’s looking at him so intensely that he has to avert his eyes. He doesn’t want her to know just how much her words affect him. 

“Fine,” he says. “I’ll clean up my act.” 

Matt laughs humorlessly. “Oh, we’ve heard that one before.” 

“I’m serious this time.” 

“I’m sure you are, but just to make sure, we’ve decided that you need a little bit of space from all of this; a vacation, if you will.” 

Jughead furrows his eyebrows in confusion. “What? Like as in Miami or something?” 

“Or something,” Cara whispers. 

“Not exactly,” Matt answers. He pulls something out of his back pocket and hands it over to Jughead. “I was thinking more of going back to your roots.” Jughead looks at the piece of paper he’d been given and nearly faints when he sees what it is. 

“A plane ticket to Riverdale?” He asks, incredulously. “Why the hell would I need this?” 

“Because that’s where you’re going.” 

“Fuck off,” he snorts. “I’m not going back there.” 

“Yes, you are,” Matt presses. “It’s a one way ticket with your name on it.” 

“Fuck you!” He yells, feeling his heart rate kick up. “I’m not going anywhere!” 

Matt doesn’t say anything and Cara just rolls her eyes, not bothered at all by his sudden outburst. “You are, Jughead. This isn’t a joke. You have gotten way out of hand and we both think it has to do with this city. Los Angeles changes people; _fame_ changes people. Do you remember the boy you used to be when you got here?” Yeah, he remembers. He was some shy and quiet loser who couldn’t even speak for himself. He was embarrassing. He was glad he wasn’t like that anymore. He was more than happy to leave that part of himself in the past. Why would Cara want that person back? Why would anyone want that person back? He was nothing; _nothing_. Jughead doesn’t want to go back to that. “That’s the boy Hollywood fell in love with. This man you are now? He’s not the person you were meant to be; I know it and you know it. You need to find that thing that made you you, whatever it was. You need to… reconnect.”

“Reconnect?” He shouts, borderline delirious. “With who? The scrawny dork I used to be? You’ve got to be kidding me! What about the movie? How the hell am I supposed to get Ryans’ attention again if I’m in fucking Riverdale?” He says the word like it’s a curse and it may as well be to him. He hated that stupid town and he’d swore he would never go back there. There was no reason to step foot over there, not anymore. 

“He’s taking a breather,” Matt reminds him. “This is your chance to prove to him that you aren’t a lost cause. Like we said, he is a genuine man. Maybe going back to Riverdale will help you find that spark that made you you when you first started off here; the thing that made Hollywood fall in love with you. All you’re doing right now is ensuring that everyone will turn on you.” 

“You really think sending me back to that shithole is going to open up my eyes?” 

“Maybe, maybe not. All we know is that you weren’t like _this_ when you were over there. I don’t know what the hell has happened to you in these past few years, but I don’t like who you’re becoming and deep down, I know you don’t either.” 

“You don’t know jack shit.” 

He actually does happen to like who he is now. He’s confident where he never used to be. He’s good at something and he gets noticed for it. He lives in a million dollar penthouse and never wears the same outfit twice. He’s tried all the best foods and slept in all the greatest hotels. He’s met the greatest actors and he’s beat them at awards shows. He finally means something and he’ll be damned if anyone tries to tell him that he doesn’t like who he is. He _loves_ who he is. He wouldn’t change anything. 

“Maybe I don’t,” Matt confirms. “But I do know that you’re going to get on the damn plane and you’re going to visit Riverdale for four weeks. I don’t give a shit what you do while you’re there honestly, but as long as you’re not here then I’m fine. Los Angeles will be the death of you, kid.” 

“You’ve never been to Riverdale,” Jughead says flatly. He sighs when he realizes that nothing is going to change this from happening. “Guess I better start packing.” 

“Actually we took care of that for you.” Cara picks up a duffel bag that had been sitting in front of his bed. “Get dressed. We’ll take you to the airport.” 

.

.

.

Riverdale is a shithole. That’s the first thing that runs through his head as he steps into the nearly empty airport. He hadn’t even been allowed to use his private jet, which had just added onto the misery that he already felt at having to come back to this place. Flying economy had been a damn nightmare and he can’t understand how people do it. He’d rather drive a thousand miles than ever have to suffer through that again. 

The airport is so small that it only takes him two minutes to get to baggage claim, where it’s just him and three other people waiting for the bags. It’s a little pathetic if you ask him. 

He has on sunglasses and a baseball cap to hide his identity, but a young brunette girl keeps glancing at him as she types away on her phone. He’s sure that she knows who he is, but she doesn’t try to come up to him which he’s thankful for. He doesn’t feel like dealing with fans today. He’s already been through too much shit. The last thing he wants is to fake a smile and conversation for a picture. 

When his bag finally comes out, he quickly grabs it and hurries out of the airport. He just wants to get to his hotel and relax. He’s still not sure what the hell he’s supposed to be doing here, but a nap sounds like the perfect way to figure it out. 

As he steps out of the airport, a blur of red attacks him. Strong arms are wrapped around him and he has to balance himself before he falls down from the impact of the hug. 

“Jug!” 

Jughead closes his eyes at the voice and tries not to pay attention to the way his heart tightens in his chest at the familiar sound. It should feel good to see his best friend again after all these years, but it’s just another reminder of all the things he left behind. Archie Andrews had been the only person he stayed in touch with, aside from his father, and even then he only talked to him a few times out of the year. It was nothing personal, he just didn’t want any ties to this place anymore. And yet… and yet Archie had been the only one he had called to let know that he was coming back home. 

“Hey, Arch,” he says lightly as he taps the redhead’s back. As horrible as it sounds, he isn’t exactly happy to see his old friend. He isn’t upset about it, but he’s just… not happy either. When he had left Riverdale all those years ago, Archie had been one of the hardest people to leave behind. The two of them had grown up together and were brothers in every way except biological. He would have gladly given up his life for the other boy at one point. Leaving him had been hard and Jughead had missed him everyday he was away; for a while at least. Over time it became easier to forget about Archie and his boyish grin and his soft brown eyes that always looked at you with love and kindness and everything good. Over time, Jughead had stopped missing him so much until he didn’t miss him at all. He didn’t want to see him now, because he didn’t want to have to go through all of that again. 

“I’m so glad you’re back,” he says as he pulls away, grin on his face. 

“Well, only for a little while,” Jughead reminds him. He feels bad at the way Archie’s face drops a little at the words. He’s not trying to be cruel, but he doesn’t want either of them to get attached before he has to leave. That wouldn’t be wise. He should have just called a damn Uber and hid away in his hotel room for the next four weeks. At least then he wouldn’t have to look his old friend in the face and tell himself not to get attached to him. 

“Well, either way,” Archie says with a gentle smile that seems both forced and sincere, “it’s still good to have you back, man. It’s been way too long since I’ve seen you.” Jughead nods in agreement. The last time he’d seen Archie had been when the redhead flew out to a premiere of his a year after he left. It had been a little awkward then. Jughead didn’t know how to fit his old life into his new one and he knew that Archie had felt out of place in his hand-me-down suit while everyone around him was in Tom Ford and Brioni. Still though, it had been nice to see him. “Plane ride okay?” Archie grabs ahold of Jughead’s suitcase and the two of them walk over to Archie’s car. It’s the same one he drove in high school and Jughead suddenly misses his Ferrari. He’s not sure this thing can even go over sixty. 

“Sure.” Not really, he thinks to himself. A child had been crying the entire time, the man to his left had spilled his drink all over Jughead’s new jeans, and the lady on his right had a nasty cold and was sneezing all over the place for the entire ride. It had been hell. 

The two of them are quiet as they get in the car and Archie starts up the engine. It’s depressing. They never used to be like this, but the sad truth is that Jughead just doesn’t know what to say anymore. He and Archie had never had anything in common, but they had always just clicked. They were complete polar opposites and yet they had fit together just like an old puzzle. Now it’s different. Jughead is aware of just how different they are and he doesn’t know how to overlook it. He’s not even sure what Archie’s into these days and he almost doesn’t want to ask. 

After a couple of minutes of silence, Archie spares a glance at him and smiles. 

“Ronnie’s excited to see you.” 

“You told her?” Jughead’s sure that everyone will find out he’s back in town within in the week, but that doesn’t mean he wants them all to know right now. He doesn’t want to have to deal with anyone and their questions. Riverdale is a small and quiet town. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever happens. There’s nothing exciting at all about it and he doesn’t want his coming back to be the newest hot gossip. He can only imagine that everyone would go crazy at the thought of their hometown Hollywood star being back and he doesn’t want to have to face that kind of thing just yet.

“Yeah, but don’t worry. She’s the only person I told and she knows not to say anything. We know you want to keep it quiet for a while.” Jughead nods and when Archie feels like he’s really okay with it, he clears his throat. “She wants you to stay with us actually.” 

“Oh, no,” Jughead says a little too quickly. That’s the last thing he wants to do. “I couldn’t impose on you guys like that.” 

“You’re not imposing, Jug. You’re our best friend. We’d love to have you at our house.” 

Best friend. He’s not even sure what that word means anymore. In California, he doesn’t have a best friend. Hell, he barely even has friends. He has people that hang out in the same circle as him and he likes them well enough, but he wouldn’t call any of them his best friend. He’s not even sure if he can call Archie that now. He feels like he hardly knows the other man anymore. He doesn’t say anything though. If Archie wants to call him his best friend, then that’s his right. But he can’t deny just how empty it feels. He wonders if Archie feels as empty as he does. 

“I don’t know,” Jughead drags out as he takes in the scenery around them. Instead of the sound of five o’clock traffic, he hears birds chirping. Instead of skyscrapers and freeways, he sees trees and acres of empty land. It’s like his own personal hell. What the hell is he supposed to do here for the next four weeks?

“Come on,” Archie pleads and Jughead takes in the look on his face. He’s pouting playfully, but underneath that, Jughead can see that he’s _actually_ begging him. He looks as if Jughead saying no might actually hurt him and despite everything, Jughead doesn’t want to hurt Archie. He doesn’t deserve that. 

“Are you sure it’s okay with Veronica?” He sure as hell hasn’t kept up with her at all. He doesn’t understand why she would want him in her home. He doesn’t think he would ever want her in his. 

“Of course! Our place is big enough for the extra company and it’ll be nice to hang out again.” 

Jughead just nods and tries to ignore the way Archie’s smile seems to widen at his acceptance; it only makes him feel even more like shit. He doesn’t know how Archie can be in front of him so unbothered about how Jughead’s basically ignored him all these years, but he doesn’t want to bring that up right now. He can’t imagine it would end well. Maybe he can just ignore that fact for the next four weeks. If anything, Archie doesn’t seem like he’s going to be bringing it up over dinner anytime soon.

“Just for a while,” he says sternly and Archie nods eagerly. “Just until I figure out what the hell I’m supposed to be doing here.”

“You could always buy a place,” Archie suggests but when he sees the look Jughead gives him, he just smiles uneasily. “Just kidding, man. You know that.” Jughead doesn’t know that. In fact, he’d give his right arm that Archie was absolutely _not_ joking. “Ronnie decided to cook so dinner will be waiting for us. I think she was hoping you’d say yes to staying with us.” 

“She cooks now?” When he knew Veronica, the brunette hadn’t been able to even work an oven. He can’t imagine her actually cooking any kind of meal that’s good. 

“Yeah,” Archie laughs, but he has a proud smile on his face. “She opened up a restaurant here and everything. Remember? I told you when it opened.”

Jughead just nods and whispers an ‘oh yeah’, but he doesn’t remember any of this. He has no recollection of ever being told that Veronica owned her own restaurant and it makes him feel even worse than he had before. Had he really been that distant from them all? He always thought that Veronica would just become some kind of… Well, actually, now that he thinks about it, he never saw her becoming anything at all. He just thought she’d sit around and be pretty and live off of her dad’s money and whatever Archie was making. Now he realizes that he’s probably a piece of shit for underestimating her. He wonders what other details he’d been told that he had just ignored. He knows that Archie took over his dad’s construction company and he almost wants to ask what everyone else in their old circle is up to these days, but he stops himself. It doesn’t matter. It’s not like he actually cares or is planning on keeping up with them once he’s back in California. 

“We’ll have to eat there while you’re down. It’s seriously the best. It’s even won a few awards and been featured on the Food Network. Ronnie loved that.” 

“That’s good,” Jughead says and he means it. He’s happy to hear that Veronica is making a name for herself, even if it is in Riverdale. Out of all of them, he’d expected Veronica to be the first to hightail it out of Riverdale. He’d been so sure that she would leave the town in her rearview mirror and never look back. She’d shocked everyone when she decided to stay there, calling it her home and saying it was where she was meant to be. He can’t ever imagine saying something like that about his shitty hometown, but to each their own. “How have you two been?” 

“Married life is blissful and a nightmare all at once.” 

Jughead looks down at the platinum ring on Archie’s wedding finger and gulps, trying to get rid of the shame that suddenly hits him. Archie and Veronica had gotten married last year. He had been invited, but he didn’t show up. It was the same day as a photoshoot he had for Rolling Stones Magazine. He could have rescheduled if he really wanted to but he didn’t. Archie and Veronica had been understanding when he declined and he hadn’t even batted an eyelash. As he sits next to his oldest friend though, he suddenly feels like shit. He missed Archie’s wedding. The two of them had always talked about how they would be each other’s best man and Jughead hadn’t even had the decency to show up in the end. He feels shame in a way that he hasn’t in years. Leave it to Archie to make him feel bad without even trying. 

“Well, you’ve made it to a year,” Jughead jokes. “At least there’s hope for you yet.” 

“Shut up,” Archie laughs. “You know she’s the love of my life.” 

And Jughead does know that. He’d been there when Archie had first caught a glimpse of the New York princess herself. He’d never seen such a dopey, lovesick look on his friend’s face before and that was when he knew that Archie was done for. Jughead adored Veronica, though. She was kind and witty and a good friend once you got to know her. He had always thought her and Archie were perfect for each other and even though he knew they would always end up with each other, it was still kind of incredible to know that they were married now. 

After a few more minutes of smalltalk and bad pop songs, Archie pulls up to a two story Victorian house. It’s gorgeous and Jughead wonders if it’s newly built. He’s never seen it before and Riverdale is a small town; he would remember something this beautiful. 

Archie takes in his awed look and grins as he gets out of the car. 

“Nice, right? I built it.” 

Jughead looks at him in shock. “ _You_ built this? By yourself?”

“More or less,” Archie says as he looks at the house. “Had a bit of help from my dad and Reggie. Veronica always said she wanted a house like this. It was her wedding gift.” 

“That’s one hell of a gift, Noah Calhoun.”

“The Notebook? Really?” 

“You caught the reference, didn’t you? You can’t judge me.” 

They walk up to the large home and as soon as they step inside, Veronica is screaming his name and jumping onto him. He has to drop his duffel bag just so that he can grab onto her so she doesn’t fall. 

“Jug!” She squeals and her grip on him tightens. “I’m so happy to see you!” She pulls her face away from his neck to grin up at him. “You look so handsome! Have you been working out?” 

“Um. Yes.” 

“I can tell! Oh, I’ve missed you so much.” 

He stands frozen, not even hugging her back. This feels weird. He hasn’t talked to Veronica in a long time and honestly, he wasn’t expecting her to react like _this_ to his return. He isn’t sure if he likes it or not. 

“Okay,” Archie says, “give him some space to breathe. He’s probably exhausted from the flight. I’m going to show him his room.” 

“Of course.” Veronica pulls away from him, still smiling. “I’m about to start cooking so you’ll have some time to nap before dinner’s ready.” Jughead nods at her words. “I’m really glad you’re back, Jughead.” 

He watches her retreating form as she makes her way to what he assumes is the kitchen. She looks really good. Her hair is longer now than it was when they were nineteen and she’s wearing it curled. It’s a look he’d never really seen on her before, but it’s nice. She’s still tiny as hell and he smiles at the little house slippers she’s wearing right now instead of the high heels he was always used to. She looks homey and content in a way that she never really did before. He noticed that when she had smiled at him, it wasn’t with the guarded look that she used to have when they were younger. She smiles at him without a worry in the world and he’s glad to see that she’s lost all of those things that used to hold her down. It’s nice.

The house is pretty big on the inside and Jughead keeps pausing to look at the decor around him. There are pictures all over the place. There’s one of Veronica and Archie on their wedding day, smiling at the camera and laughing as they hold onto each other. There’s another one of them at Disney World, standing in front of Cinderella’s castle. He sees a few familiar faces in the pictures as well. Reggie Mantle at their wedding, standing in between them and making some obscene gesture towards the camera. He remembers Archie telling him that Reggie had been his best man in the end. He tries to ignore the way that seems to hurt him now, when it never did before. Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz are photographed with Veronica and Archie at a restaurant and he’s happy to see that they’re still together. He always knew Cheryl and Toni would end up together when they finally fixed their shit. There’s another one of them rock climbing; Toni and Veronica are at the very top while Archie is mid-fall and Cheryl is laughing at him from halfway up the wall. There’s a picture of Veronica with Josie McCoy backstage at a concert. Josie was one of the few that actually got out of Riverdale and made a name for herself. Jughead had ran into her a few times in California, but they never said much to each other. They’d never actually been friends before. 

They’re next to the room that he’ll be staying in when he sees a picture of a girl that he doesn’t recognize at all. 

In it, Veronica is standing outside next to a blonde. As far as looks go, she’s the perfect embodiment of the girl-next-door trope. She has wavy blonde hair that falls down her shoulders and green eyes that are shining at the camera. She’s in a bikini top that has the American flag printed on it and tiny shorts. There’s also a hot dog in her right hand and a firework in her left, so he assumes this must be from the Fourth of July. She’s beautiful in a very simple kind of way and Jughead can’t tear his eyes away from her. She’s smiling in the picture, but as he stares longer, he can see a sadness in her smile. Her eyes are shining, but he’s not so sure it’s with happiness. He doesn’t think that someone so beautiful should ever be that sad. For some reason that he can’t explain, he wants to reach out and touch the picture. 

Archie must catch where his gaze is because he speaks up. “That’s Betty Cooper, she’s our neighbor.” 

Betty Cooper. Even her name was simple. Pretty, but simple. It fit her perfectly. 

“She just move here?” 

“Nah, she’s lived here for about a year. She’s a teacher down at the elementary school, she’s really sweet. Veronica loves her.” Archie sighs sadly. “It’s sad what happened to her.” Jughead turns to his old friend and lifts an eyebrow in question. “Her husband died two years ago; drunk driver hit them on the way home from dinner. She walked away perfectly fine and he died on impact. I think she moved here to try and start new.” 

For the first time in a long time, a rush of sadness and pain floods over him. He looks at the girl in the picture and he hates that anything that awful could happen to someone who looked so… _good_. She looks like she hasn’t done a single wrong thing in her entire life. He’s come to learn that it’s always the best people who suffer the most. He feels like the world’s biggest asshole as he thinks about how he’d been drunk driving just last night. At the time, he hadn’t felt like he was doing anything wrong. But after hearing Archie tell him this, he’s ashamed. He could have easily ruined someone’s life that night, all because he was upset over having to sit next to his ex-girlfriend at an award show. He was pathetic. 

“Oh,” is all he says in the end. He doesn’t know how to properly respond to Archie and he doesn’t want to sound like an asshole, so he decides not to say anything at all in the end. 

Archie just hums. “Well, this is your room. Fresh sheets and everything.” 

Jughead steps inside and smiles to himself as he looks around. “This is really nice.” 

And it is. The room is a decent size, with a bed that’s big enough for him to sprawl out on. There’s a dresser for his clothes, a closet, and even a new looking flat screen TV. 

“You have your own bathroom over there,” Archie says as he points towards a closed door in the room. “This is the main guest room so it has a lot more room to it. Do you like it?” 

“Yeah, Arch. This is perfect. Thank you.” 

They put his bags down and Archie leaves him to settle in. He sits down on the bed and when he realizes just how comfortable it is, he lays back down onto the mattress. He’s not really tired, but he doesn’t want to go back downstairs and talk to the happy couple. They both seem so happy to see him again and he tries to find that kind of happiness for them himself, but he can’t. He doesn’t know how to be their friend anymore; it’s been so long. Archie and Veronica are treating him like everything is the same; like he hadn’t left seven years ago without ever looking back. It almost makes him feel bad. It _does_ make him feel bad. 

His mind wanders back to the picture he’d seen on the wall. In all his life, he’s never had to deal with losing anyone close to him; at least not to something like death. He’s never had to face that kind of pain before and he can’t even begin to imagine what that must feel like. He thinks about how he would feel if he lost his father and he’s stunned when he can’t find any kind of pain to fall back on. He’s expecting to be hit with something akin to a truck-ton of hurt, but instead he feels the dullest prick of it. It’s appalling and he sits up quickly, disgusted with himself. 

How long has it been since he’s talked to his dad? He tries to think, but he realizes that it’s probably been about as long as it had been since he’d last talked to Archie. Hell, he doesn’t even remember when the last time he talked to his sister was and there used to be a time when they had been inseparable. 

Had he really been so closed off from everyone? He hadn’t even realized. Back in California, he was constantly busy with meetings and projects and award shows and red carpets. He didn’t have time to dwell on the past and he sure as hell didn’t have the free time to sit around and consider all the things he was doing wrong in life. He had been in Riverdale for less than five hours, though and here he was sitting on a bed in his old best friend’s house and contemplating everything about his life. Were Matt and Cara right? Had he really lost that much of himself in Hollywood? No. No, there’s no way. He isn’t some evil asshole like they’re making him out to be. Maybe he’d gotten a little lost along the way, but he wasn’t as bad as they were saying. He just needed to call his dad tomorrow; that’s all this was a reminder of. 

He lays back down into the pillow and looks out of the large window to the right of him. There’s a brick home that looks more like a cottage. It’s small but homely. There are gorgeous flower beds surrounding it and the grass is freshly cut. Fairy lights are aligned along either side of the sidewalk. It looks almost magical in a way. 

He falls asleep looking at the bed of roses and dreams of red petals falling all around him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all the sweet comments y'all have been leaving! It means so much to me. :') 
> 
> This story is veeeeeery Jughead-centric and it's the first story of mine that is. So while Bughead is obviously a HUGE part of it, these first couple of chapters are going to focus more on Jughead and his friendships rather than Betty, but we do get to see a glimpse of out favorite girl in this chapter. <3
> 
> My amazing friend, Ten (@stardustparker) was kind as to help me out with his chapter AND she even made this beautiful edit on Tumblr so [check it out](https://thotstark.tumblr.com/post/185096835782/he-has-everything-he-could-ever-want-she-lost)!
> 
> Enjooooooy.

**Heartache for Heartthrob?**

_Last weekend, 26-year-old Jughead Jones walked away from the Oscars with his fourth Academy Award. And that wasn’t the only thing. It also seems that he walked away with a broken heart. Jones was seen leaving the Oscars after a heated argument with long-term girlfriend Jade Everton. Although the pair are currently not together, the two were very affectionate during the show, Everton even gave her old beau a kiss after he was awarded Best Actor for the film Fifteen Seconds. There have been reports of this power couple getting back together. Just last month the two were seen leaving one of Everton’s photoshoots together and a fan spotted them together at a McDonald’s drive thru. However, sources close to the singer say that she’s tired of Jones’ partying ways._

_“She just wants the old Jughead back, you know?” A close friend of Everton told us over at PopTalk!. “He’s always out at a club or some private party with his friends and she’s over it. She’s ready for a serious relationship. She’s always wanted kids and marriage and she wants that with Jughead, but he’s just all over the place right now.”_

_All over the place is right. Jones was pulled over and charged with a DUI just after the award show and he wasn’t alone. With him was a gorgeous, unnamed girl in a less than flattering position. Could this be a secret girlfriend he’s kept under wraps? Perhaps she’s the reason he can’t commit to anyone else. Either way, Jones was spotted at LAX just as the news of his DUI was found out. Where was he going? We don’t know but he was alone and not looking too happy about it. Could he be running away from the hurt of this weekend? We hope that wherever he goes, he’s able to find his way back to Jade. We, over here at PopTalk!, are rooting for Jugade!_

_ Photos below of the lovely couple at this years Academy Awards. _

 

Riverdale was exactly the same as it was when he left, and yet completely different. 

On his first full day there, he goes to Pop’s. Back when he was still in school and living with his parents, Pop’s was the place to be. Everyone went there and everyone was always welcomed. Being there was like being in a different time in a completely different world. Riverdale, for better or worse, always felt like it existed in a bubble and Pop’s was the energy source in that little bubble. As soon as you stepped inside, it was almost like all your problems melted away. He had spent countless evenings there with his friends, eating burgers and sipping milkshakes. The best part had been going there after a Friday night football game. Jughead himself had never been big on football. Sure, it was entertaining enough to watch when he had to but the only reason he actually ever went was to see Archie play and to take pictures for the yearbook committee. He feels a strange, lingering guilt, though--years ago, he’d drag himself to football games for Archie no matter how badly he wished he was at home watching movies. Today, he feels like a stranger in his own hometown, even though he’s been welcomed with nothing but love from his sort-of former best friend.

His mind seemed to stray back to memories he hadn’t really thought about for years. Win or lose, Pop’s would be completely alive after a game night. There was nothing better than going to the diner after a winning game, which the Riverdale Bulldogs had a lot of back then. Everyone would show up to the best burger-and-milkshake joint in town; cheerleaders, jocks, parents, the loners, the band geeks, _everyone_. And they would all sit together, talking and laughing and not worrying about any of the stupid stereotypes that followed them everywhere they went. On Friday nights at Pop’s, they were all friends. 

He had sat down in the same booth that they always used to sit in. The seats still made a slightly squeaky noise when he sat down in them and their initials are still carved into the side of the table. He ran a finger over the fading letters and smiled to himself at the memories that followed suit. Those days had seemed so simple; so close in his memories and yet so damn far away. It had been nice, almost the same. Except he was alone. He’d tried to remember the last time he’d eaten there by himself, but he couldn’t. He tried to remember what it had been like when he’d last eaten there with his friends, but he couldn’t. It was depressing, to say the least. 

The second full day he was in Riverdale, he drove past Riverdale High. The school looked exactly the same; dreary and old. Kids had been outside; throwing footballs and talking in groups, eating lunch and reading books. It had been nice to see, but he hadn’t stayed long. He knew that his chances of getting stopped by someone who recognized him were way too risky. Still though, it had been nice to see the place where so many monumental things had happened for him growing up. 

He’d had his first fight at Riverdale High. It had been against Reggie Mantle, who was actually his friend and ran with him, Archie, and Veronica. He’d gotten his ass kicked, which wasn’t surprising to anyone with eyes. Jughead had been scrawny with noodles for arms back then whereas Reggie was the captain of the football team and spent half his lunches in the weight room with Archie. Jughead had walked away with a black eye and Reggie had been dragged away by the principal, the only sign of the fight being a small scratch near his eye. In the end, the two of them talked it out and Reggie was on burger duty; meaning he had to pay for all of Jughead’s burgers for a month. Jughead forgave him easily. 

His first kiss had been in those walls too. Surprisingly enough, it had been with Cheryl Blossom of all people. It had been for a theatre production at the school. It was awkward and Cheryl used way too much tongue and her lipstick had stained his lips for the rest of the day, but still. It had been his first kiss. Something she’d never let him live down. 

On his third day there, after spending the rest of his second day brooding over what used to be, he went to Sweetwater River. Sweetwater had always been a fun place. They hadn’t gone there often back in high school but when they did, it was always fun. They used to go swimming there and he and Archie would take Vegas and Hot Dog with them, playing frisbee with their dogs as Veronica, and sometimes even Cheryl and Toni, would lay on beach towels and let the sun hit their skin. 

On his fourth day of ruminating, Jughead concludes nostalgia is just a cruel bitch that makes things seem better than they actually were. He is officially over it. 

“I’m fucking bored,” he groans to Veronica, who is currently brushing her hair in front of her vanity mirror. He’s laying down on her’s and Archie’s bed and watching her with little interest. “This town is boring.” 

“Perhaps you should have taken up Archie’s offer on doing some work with him.” 

He rolls his eyes at her nonchalant answer. Archie had suggested that Jughead go to work with him, if not to just have something to do, but he’d rather eat McDonalds for a month than do manual labor like that. Especially not in the ugly weather that clouded over Riverdale constantly. He briefly wonders what he’d be doing if he were home in L.A right now, and even with Matt and Cara’s nagging, it still seems to be the lesser of two evils.

“No, thank you.” 

“Then stop complaining to me, Jughead.” She makes eye contact with him through the mirror and when she sees his scowling face, she puts down her brush and turns to look at him, annoyance clear as day on her face. It actually makes him excited. She’s been way too nice to him ever since he got here and as welcoming as that had been, he hadn’t befriended Veronica for her niceness. He befriended her because she had the same kind of sardonic humor he’d had once upon a time. You couldn’t tell from looking at them, but the two of them actually had a lot in common. Most importantly, they had both been able to dish it out and get it back without throwing a fit like Archie had back in the day. He always was the sensitive one out of them. “Seriously. What is it that you’re supposed to be doing here? I mean, really. There has to be a reason you came down here and I know it wasn’t just to sit around _my_ house and whine constantly.” 

_My house_. It stings a little to hear, but he appreciates it in a strange way. Part of him wants Veronica to have an outburst, just to give him the satisfaction that not everything has changed in his absence.

“Sure, but I don’t know why the hell I’m here.” It’s the truth. Why is he here? To reconnect with himself? Fat chance of that happening anytime soon. Who he was back then, wasn’t who he is now. He doesn’t even think he’d want to go back to being that pathetic kid. Who would ever want to go back to being something like that? He’d been a coward, a loser. He almost feels bad for his past self when he stops to think about it. He even wonders how he lived like that for so long. “Apparently I need to… reconnect with who I used to be or some bullshit.” He says it jokingly, but Veronica frowns at his words. 

“Jug… you know I love you, right?” Veronica says the words softly and with so much emotion behind them that Jughead has to look away from her. He and Veronica had never been as close as he and Archie or her and Cheryl, but they had been something. They’d been different, but somehow just as strong as his friendship with Archie. Still though, it’s a little too much to hear her utter those words to him. He tries to think if she’s ever told him that before. He can’t remember.

Hell, he can’t remember the last time someone told him “I love you” and _meant it_.

“Jug.” 

“Sure,” he says as he clears his throat and looks at her. Her brown eyes are almost sad. He’s never seen her look like this and definitely not directed towards him of all people. He wonders how many people he’s been hurting without even meaning to. 

“Because I do. I do love you and I care about you very much, which is why I’m about to ask you this next question and I don’t want you to get mad at me, okay?” Jughead nods and Veronica continues. “What the hell happened to you?” 

Of all the questions he had been expecting her to ask him, that definitely had not been anywhere near the top of the list and he knows that she knows he’s confused, because she shakes her head. “I just mean… you know I don’t like to keep up with all those gossip columns. I grew up in the public eye too, I know the kind of lies that they like to tell for a quick buck. But I pay attention to what they say about you. You didn’t stay in contact with us and I understand why you didn’t, I’m not mad about it, but I just wanted to make sure you were… _okay_ , you know? I wanted to make sure you were _happy_.” His stomach clenches and he feels like he needs to throw up. He suddenly feels like the world’s shittiest human. His friends were over here so worried about him and he never even thought twice about them. What kind of person does that? 

“You’ve just seemed so sad and angry lately. I could be completely wrong, but I don’t think I am. There has to be a reason that you were sent here, because we both know there’s no way in hell you’d come here willingly again.” She gives him a sad smile and he doesn’t return it. He can’t even think about smiling right now. “You were dating someone for a while, weren’t you? Is she the reason you were so upset? Did she… was it a bad breakup?” 

He barks out a laugh before shaking his head. Veronica looks completely lost for words and he understands why. What kind of guy would have that kind of reaction to a question like that? The kind that started out as a fake relationship for the public, that’s who. He considers telling Veronica the entire truth, but he decides against it. He’s technically signed an NDA, which honestly doesn’t mean that much to him right now, because who the hell in Riverdale has someone to tell? A meeker voice in his head reminds him that Veronica would never tell another soul if he asked her not to, including Archie, but he just doesn’t want to get into the details of it all. He doesn’t want to admit that most of his life is one big lie. He can’t face that fact right now. Not yet. 

“No,” he just says. “The breakup was fine.” Veronica nods like she doesn’t really believe him, but she doesn’t push him and he’s thankful for that. “I’m fine, Veronica. Really. You know how Hollywood is. They want to make a sob story out of everyone.” 

“Well, I’m not Hollywood. I’m your friend and I’m asking you, right now, are you okay?” 

Is he okay? It’s such a simple question, yet the answer is anything but. In general, yes. Yes, he is okay. He is alive and his health is great. He has a career that he loves and decent friends. He has a roof over his head and enough money that he’ll never have to worry about anything for the rest of his life. So yes, he is okay. But does he sometimes stay up late at night as he stares at the darkness of his room and wonder what he’s doing? Does he walk around Los Angeles, surrounded by thousands of people, and yet still feel completely alone? Does he scream into his pillow at night when he thinks about all the regrets he has? Does he sometimes wish that he could go back to when he was sixteen and life was so much easier? Does he wish he could just… stop everything and take a breath? Yes. Yes, he does. He does all of that. 

But why does any of that matter? Admitting to that won’t help him whatsoever. What’s Veronica going to do? Hug him and tell him everything will be okay? He knows she can’t fix him, because a long string of people have tried and they all gave up, and he knows it’s because he’s not matching their efforts. Veronica means well, but she isn’t the first person to try and help him. She won’t be the last, either. But he’s not going to sit here and cry to her as if it’ll change anything at all in his life. It won’t. He knows that now. 

“I’m fine,” he tells her. “Really.” 

“So that’s why you got a DUI the other night?” Jughead looks at her in shock and the gentle look from earlier is gone. Her eyes are harder now as he looks at him from across the room. “I pay attention to the news, Jughead. Tabloids tell lies, but I don’t think this is one of them. I know you, Jughead, so please stop lying. You’re my friend. Just talk to me.”

“What do you want me to say?” 

“You could try the truth.” She stands up and walks over to the bed as she sits and takes his hand in hers. He wants to yank it away, not used to having someone show him any kind of raw affection like this, but her grip is tight and he knows she wouldn’t let him pull away even if he wanted to. “Look… I know that you and I weren’t close like I was with Cheryl or like you were with Archie. But I considered you my best friend despite all of it. I’ve always cared for you, Jughead. No matter what happened in the past, no matter how long it’s been. I know you don’t want to be here. That much is crystal clear. I know you’d much rather get on the first flight back to Los Angeles and forget about us all over again and you know what? You can go ahead and do that. But I can assure you that if you do, it’ll be the last time you ever see or hear from Archie again.” 

For some reason, despite the fact that he hadn’t even thought of Archie _until_ he was forced to come back to Riverdale, despite the fact that he hasn’t had a decent conversation with him in years, or that he doesn’t even know how to be Archie’s friend anymore, or if he even _wants_ to, the threat makes his blood run completely cold. 

“Excuse me?” This time when he yanks his hands out of Veronica’s, she lets him.

“I love you, Jughead.” She stares at him like she’s looking into his soul and he wants to tear his eyes away from her, but he can’t. He knows that she’s doing this on purpose. “So I forgave you for not coming to our wedding even though it broke Archie’s heart. He cried on our wedding night, you know.” Jughead’s face feels like it’s on fire. Archie had told him that he didn’t mind. Why did he lie? “I know he told you that he didn’t mind it, but you would have to be really daft to believe that, Jones. He loves you more than anything in this world; sometimes I think he might even love you more than he does me. And you know what? That’s fine, but you know what isn’t fine? You were supposed to be his best friend; his best _man_. Do you know how horrible he felt when you told him you weren’t coming to the wedding? I have never seen him that torn up over something. And I hated you for a long time because of it, and it’s difficult to let go of the resentment especially because it couldn’t be more clear that _you don’t want to be here_. And I know that probably means absolutely nothing to you, but I just need you to know that.” 

“Why?” Because damn it, it _does_ mean something to him. He hadn’t expected for Veronica’s words to do anything to him, but hearing her say she loves him even though she had hated him because of his own selfishness? For some reason that hurts a hell of a lot more than he ever would have expected. 

“Because I know that you aren’t this cold and selfish person you pretend to be. I don’t know what’s happened since you left us, but I know that the Jughead I cried to on prom night because I thought I was pregnant is still somewhere in there. I know that the Jughead who held my hand and told me everything would be okay after my father’s accident happened is still in there. I know that the Jughead I would have gladly done anything in the world for, is still somewhere in _there_.” She jams a finger to his chest and it hurts emotionally more than it does physically. “I believe that with all of my heart and so does Archie. So if you come back here and you break his heart again, it will be the last time you ever do. Like I said, I love you, Jughead. But I won’t let you hurt my husband with your absolute carelessness. Not again.” 

Before he can even wrap his head around the conversation, Veronica stands up and walks out of the room, leaving him staring at his own reflection in her vanity mirror and trying to remember when he became someone he didn’t even recognize anymore. 

.

.

.

The coffee at Riverdale Beanery still tastes like shit. He takes another sip of it and winces as he swallows. Everything here is so cheap, but he supposes that makes a lot of sense when it tastes as badly as this does. 

“Would you like another refill, sir?” 

A doe eyed girl who looks young enough to be in middle school is currently batting her eyelashes at him and he’d bet fat money that she knows _exactly_ who he is. He’s been in Riverdale for nine days now and people have definitely noticed. It’s a small town and he knows, well _knew_ a lot of people, so the few times that he does step out of the Lodge-Andrews’ household, he’s pretty much left alone. He’ll get a few knowing glances and the occasional ‘It’s good to see you back in town’ though. These younger people though, the ones he is completely clueless over, are the ones who fawn over him a little more than necessary. 

“No, thank you.” He considers telling her how shit the coffee actually is, but she’s looking at him like he hung the moon and who the hell is he to break a young teen girl’s heart? “Coffee is delicious, though.” 

“Oh!” Her eyes widen and shine like he’s just given her the best news in the world. He’s sure he might have just done that; he doubts she gets very many compliments on it. “Thank you! Although I’m sure y’all have better coffee in Los Angeles.” Her eyes widen and she looks horrified at the slip up. “I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to sound like some stalker. I just… I really like your movies. I heard you were from here, but I never thought you’d actually come back.” 

“That makes two of us.” He gets a good look at her now. She kind of reminds him of Jellybean. He feels a pang as he thinks about his younger sister. He hasn’t talked to her since… well, he can’t remember. And with that he pushes away all thoughts of her. “What’s your name?” 

“Charlie. It’s short for Charlotte. My mom likes to call me Lottie, but I prefer Charlie.” And God if that isn’t something Jellybean would have said. 

“Well, Charlie, it’s nice to meet you.” He offers his hand for her to shake and he can feel her nerves radiating off of her. “You know, my sister hated her name growing up; made everyone call her Jellybean. My mom still refuses to call her it. You remind me a lot of her.” And just like that, he can see her visibly relax. She reaches out and shakes his hand. 

“Do you… I’m so sorry, but is it okay if I get a picture with you?” She looks completely embarrassed and Jughead’s heart breaks. Despite whatever the tabloids like to say about him, he loves all of his fans and he’s never bothered by them asking for pictures. 

“Of course.” He grabs her phone because her hand is shaking way too much and snaps a picture of them. She thanks him again and then wishes him a good day. Jughead smiles at her retreating form. She’s sweet and not invasive and it’s a nice change from being swarmed out in California constantly. 

He finishes his terrible coffee and leaves Lottie a three hundred dollar tip before leaving the beanery. 

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.

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**CharliesAnghells: OMG GUYS! I met @JugheadJones today and he was so sweet! Look at his smile, HE’S EVEN CUTER IN PERSON SKDKAHJSFHJKFJS**

**BaconAndMeg: @CharliesAnghells WHERE IS THIS AT QUEEN**

**CharliesAnghells: @BaconAndMeg At my work! In Riverdale**

**JugheadsJones: @CharliesAnghells What did he order? Was he alone?**

**JugandJones: @CharliesAnghells wtf where is this at**

**CharliesAnghells: I’m muting my tweet guys, sorry! I don’t want to give all the details. I will say he was very sweet and left me a $300 tip so I’m very thankful for that. He treated me like a friend and I think I love him even more now.**

 

“Hey, Jug!” Archie runs into the guest room that Jughead’s currently residing in with tomato sauce all over him. Jughead wrinkles his nose at him and Archie chuckles. “Yeah. There was uh… a bit of a mess. Could you run down to the store and get some more sauce please? I’d go but…” he gestures down to himself and Jughead nods. 

“Yeah, sure. You need anything else?” 

“No, that’s it! Thanks so much, man. You’re the best.” There’s a screech from the kitchen-- _Veronica_ \--and Archie’s running out of the room then. Jughead hasn’t talked to Veronica since she ripped into him the other day and he kinda wants to keep it that way. Truth be told, he has no clue what to say to her. He knows that everything she was saying was right, but admitting that out loud was a different story all on its own. Maybe he’s being selfish by prioritizing his own comfort, but he just isn’t ready to confront that yet. So he slides on his shoes and tiptoes down the hallway, ignoring her screechy yelling at Archie who’s laughing loudly, and walks out of the house. 

He’s jealous of their love, he can admit that much. He’d never dated in high school, not seriously at least, but he had never felt like a third wheel around them; he’d never felt like he didn’t fit in. It had always been Archie, Jughead, Veronica; all three of them together. Now it felt like _ArchieAndVeronica_ and Jughead. It seems like not that long ago the three of them were hanging out at Pop’s and talking about their future together. They said they’d always stay friends, even if things didn’t work out between Archie and Veronica, but now they’re a separate unit without him. They’d be next-door neighbors, that way they’d never have to be too far away from each other. They would have weekly dinners and game nights and everything would be perfect. Except it wasn’t. Jughead got a full ride to UCLA, moved to California, and became a huge star in the process. Archie and Veronica are obviously living in their sickly-sweet, Riverdalian little bubble. In a way, it should feel like everything worked out perfectly, on paper it looks like it does, but the hard reality is: he’s not sure it did. He thought it did, but the longer he’s in Riverdale, the more he thinks that he might have been more wrong about his life than he thought. God, he doesn’t want to give Matt and Cara the satisfaction though. There was once a time when he would have never been able to imagine his life without Archie or Veronica, but now he can’t imagine his life _with_ them. He can’t help but wonder what the old him would think about it all. 

 

He takes Archie’s truck to the store and grumbles to himself the entire time. It’s way too old and way too slow and he feels like if he goes over fifty, the whole thing will fall apart. It’s nothing like his Ferrari back home and he hates it. He wonders if maybe he can have his car flown over to him. Honestly that should be the least Matt could do after making him come back to this God-awful town. 

The grocery store is small and creepy in a way that he hadn’t remembered. A light in the produce section flickers on and off and Africa by Toto plays over the speakers very low. It almost feels like he’s in a different world. He might as well be if he’s being honest. Riverdale was, and he could never stress this enough, nothing like Los Angeles. 

He’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses even though he can’t see five feet in front of him with them on, because he really doesn’t want to run into anyone while he’s here. He wants to get what he needs and get the hell out of here. Finding the tomato sauce is easy enough; there’s only like four aisles total here, and he looks down and reads the can, trying to keep his eyes away from his surroundings. 

“I swear to God, Reggie, if you don’t put that down!” 

He stops dead in his tracks. The voice is coming from an aisle down, but he would recognize that high pitched scream anywhere. He’d been on the receiving end of it one too many times back in the day. He slowly walks over to the end of the aisle and peeks over into the next one. 

Sure enough, a tall redhead girl is standing there with what looks like Funfetti; Cheryl Blossom. 

Back in school, Cheryl was kind of an unofficial part of their group. She would occasionally hang out with them but it wasn’t until their junior year, when her and Veronica got really close, that she made her way to being the fourth member in their little gang. Jughead and her had never been close. Their friendship was all snarky comments and trying to outdo the other in their academic lessons, but they had liked each other well enough. Cheryl was a good person and Jughead finds himself wanting to reach out to her and hug her. 

Standing in front of her is Reggie Mantle. He’s still as tall and broad as he had been in school and he has the same boyish smile on his face that had made so many people fall in love with him. It had also helped him get out of trouble a few times. 

He’s not surprised to see that they’re still friends. Cheryl and Reggie were notorious troublemakers back in high school. It’s kind of surreal to see them fighting about Funfetti, though. 

“Why can’t we buy it?” He whines and grabs it out of Cheryl’s hands, holding it high over them so she can’t reach. 

“Because we aren’t eating that for dinner! We are adults!” 

“I don’t know how you and Toni are going to invite me over, say it’s _my_ choice, and then tell me no! You know what that is? It’s bad manners! You two are bad hosts!” 

“I’ll show you a bad host when I shove that whole can--.” 

Jughead can’t help it, he snorts. He doesn’t mean to, but it’s hilarious to watch them bicker like this again. He regrets it when they both quickly look over to him. Reggie looks completely surprised but Cheryl, in typical Cheryl fashion, looks on edge. 

“Do you make it a habit to listen in on other people’s conversations?” She snaps at him. 

“Only when they’re as entertaining as yours.” 

Her eyes narrow in confusion and he knows that she’s trying to place his voice. It takes a few seconds before she laughs loudly. 

“Oh, my God? _Jughead_?” He takes off his sunglasses and hat and she runs towards him and hugs him. It doesn’t feel as weird as it had with Veronica, but he’s still a little hesitant to hug her back. She doesn’t seem to mind though. “What are you doing here?” 

“Getting some perspective.” It’s the truth, because he doesn’t know what else to say and she just laughs. 

“Holy shit, Donnie Darko,” Reggie says as he walks up to them with a smile. “You really filled out, didn’t you?” 

“I have a personal trainer now, so I think I could probably get you back for that fight during sophomore year.” 

“Dream on.” Reggie doesn’t hug him and he’s thankful for it. He doesn’t know how many more hugs he can take. “How you been, man? It’s been a long time.” 

It’s been almost eight years actually; nearly a decade. These people standing in front of him are complete strangers if he’s being honest, but he doesn’t say that to them. He thinks about Veronica’s words from the other day and he wonders if maybe Archie wasn’t the only person he had hurt. He doubts it, but he can’t help but to wonder if Cheryl and Reggie were upset about him not keeping in touch. They don’t look like it. 

“I’ve been good.” 

“I saw you on TV the other day,” Cheryl says, because of course she did. “I’m glad you finally learned how to dress.” 

“Thanks,” he snorts. “I’m glad to see you’ve finally expanded your wardrobe.” He glances down to the blue sweater and black pants she’s wearing. Aside from her hair, there isn’t anything red about her outfit. Even her lips are void of the usual red lipstick that had been her trademark when they were teens. 

“Blue just really works for me, doesn’t it?” She says it confidently as she brushes her hair over her shoulders in a show. Jughead laughs. 

It’s easier to talk to her than it had been to talk to Archie and Veronica and he feels bad about it. For some reason, he doesn’t feel bad about the fact that he hasn’t spoken to Cheryl or Reggie in almost ten years and they don’t look upset about it either. From the looks of it, he just hasn’t burned them as badly, and it puts him at ease with his guilty conscience. It’s not awkward at all and he doesn’t have to think about what to say or how to act. He doesn’t have to try to be the person he was back then. It makes him feel like a dick, but talking to Cheryl just comes easy. 

“Where you staying?” Reggie asks. 

“Over at Archie and Veronica’s.” 

“Really?” Cheryl nearly bounces. She’s changed. She doesn’t wear that cold armor that used to be a second skin to her. He can tell that she’s happy and full of life in a way she had never been after the death of her twin brother. It’s incredible to see and it makes _him_ happy. “I can’t believe they didn’t say anything.” 

“I asked them not to. It was kind of a last minute thing.” Cheryl nods in understanding. “I actually should probably get back to them. I just came here to pick up some pasta sauce for dinner.” 

“Right, yeah. Well, I’ll call Veronica later. We should all get together since you’re back. It’ll be fun! Like old times.” 

Jughead nods at Cheryl’s words before bidding her and Reggie goodbye. He doesn’t tell her that he doesn’t think it’s possible to go back to the “old times”. They aren’t the people they used to be; he definitely wasn’t the kid he used to be and he wouldn’t dream of going back to being him either. And as easy as it had been to talk to Cheryl right now, he isn’t sure if he could do it around Veronica and Archie. Every time he’s around them he just feels lost. He feels like he has to be the person that he used to be, the one that was worthy of being Archie’s best friend, the one who would have never hurt Archie, even if he had a gun to his head. He feels like he has to be that quiet loner who didn’t really fit in anywhere except for with them. When he’s with Archie and Veronica, he feels like that quiet kid from the wrong side of the tracks who lived in a rundown trailer with a dad who couldn’t keep a job to save his life. That’s how they still think of him and he hates it. It makes it hard for him to talk to them, to want to even be around them. Maybe that’s why he had been so eager to run to the grocery store when Archie had asked him to. 

.

.

.

Dinner is ready by the time he gets back and Veronica is quick to make the sauce, even adding in a few mushrooms to the mix. He can’t remember the last time that he had a home-cooked meal like this. Sure, he has a personal chef back in California at his beck and call, but it was nothing like this. Veronica’s food reminds him of his mother’s; it’s almost comforting in a way. 

“I saw Cheryl and Reggie,” he tells them while ripping apart his bread. “Cheryl said we should all get together.” 

“That would be nice,” Archie says, happy as ever. “We usually do dinner with them every weekend.” Jughead tries not to think about how that used to be _their_ plan of action until he decided to move away and leave all of this behind. 

Veronica looks a little perplexed, but doesn’t speak on it. “You would be comfortable with that?” She asks Jughead. For the first time since their talk, he looks her right in the eyes. She doesn’t look upset with him at all, she looks like she’s genuinely asking him; like she wouldn’t want to upset him by accident. Walking on eggshells. He wonders if he’ll ever stop feeling like a dick while he’s here. 

“Yeah. It was nice talking to her.” 

Veronica just nods. “We can do something next week. You still need to come visit my work,” she tells Jughead. There’s a smile on her face, soft, and it looks like a peace offering so Jughead gladly accepts it.

“As long as your cooking tastes better than it did in high school.” 

Archie laughs loudly at that, throwing his head back and clutching onto his chest with his right hand. Veronica looks offended for all of five seconds before she starts laughing too. It feels good to sit here and laugh with them. He’s been here for over a week and this is the first time that he’s actually laughed like this with the two of them. For a split second, he forgets why he’s really here. He forgets the DUI and the bad press. He forgets about the movie and Richard Ryans. He forgets that he’s going to have to leave soon and when he does that everything will go back to how it was before he showed up to Riverdale. 

He forgets about all of that because right now he’s eating dinner with Veronica and Archie and they’re all laughing together for the first time in years. He forgets about all of that because for the first time in years, it feels like they’re still friends. 

.

.

.

He decides to go for a run. 

It’s five in the morning, he can’t fall back asleep, and the sun isn’t even up yet, but he likes it more that way. He doesn’t want to run around the neighborhood when everyone is awake for the same reason that he doesn’t want to go to Riverdale’s shady 24-hour gym; he doesn’t want to get stopped by nosey people. He can hear the whispers as it is whenever he leaves the house and he can only imagine what people are saying about him being back in town. He doesn’t really care what they’re thinking up though, as long as they kept it to themselves. 

So he puts on a shirt, a pair of shorts, his favorite Nikes, and sets up his wireless headphones. He’s extra quiet when he leaves the house, not wanting to wake up Archie or Veronica. Once he’s outside he takes a deep breath. It actually feels really good. The air is nice and cool and even a little refreshing; it feels a lot nicer than the smoggy Cali air, he has to admit that much. 

The birds are chirping loudly around him and he can hear their songs over the music playing in his ears. It’s a nice combination of noises that isn’t rife with the buzz of a big city.

Archie and Veronica live in a nice neighborhood with houses that have funny little trinkets in their yards. He passes three different gnomes and an entire fairy garden and some people still have Christmas decorations up, but he’ll place that on laziness. He’s so caught up in everything around him that he doesn’t realize he’s been gone for nearly an hour. He’s sweating and despite the coolness of the air, he’s hot. He takes off his shirt and lets it hang out of his shorts’ pocket before he makes his way back to Archie’s. The sun is finally starting to come up and a part of him expects a rooster to crow from somewhere in the distance. 

A song that he doesn’t care for comes on Pandora and he pulls it out of the strap around his arm to change it. He’s so engrossed in finding something he likes, that he doesn’t realize he’s about to run into someone until they literally smack foreheads. 

The impact is hard and he has to reach out quickly to stop the other person from falling down. A book bag falls to the floor with an loud thud. 

“Holy shit, I’m sorry,” he apologizes. The person, a girl, leans down to pick up her bag. “I wasn’t paying attention. Are you okay?” 

“It’s okay.” The voice is soft, way too soft, and he has to lean down a little bit to properly hear her. “I’m okay.” The girl stands back up, letting him see her face and Jughead knows who it is right away. 

Betty Cooper is standing in front of him; her hair is falling down in a golden crown of curls that blow ever so slightly in the wind. She’s dressed up nicely in a blue skirt and blazer. She almost looks a little professional and that’s when he remembers that she’s a teacher, so he supposes it makes sense. Although none of his teachers ever looked like _this_. 

He stares into her eyes and hopes he doesn’t look too creepy for it. He can’t help it, he can’t look away from them. They’re the prettiest shade of green. They remind him of summer days spent at his grandfather’s cabin in the woods. The grass had always been beautiful and full of life over there. Sometimes he felt like he enjoyed rolling around in it more than he enjoyed being in the water. 

But he can’t help but notice the slight bags under them and the dark circles that rest there comfortably. There’s a slight redness to them and he can’t tell if it’s from crying or a lack of sleep; maybe both, maybe neither. 

“I’m Jughead,” he says, forcing himself to stop looking at her like she’s the most valuable piece of art inside the Met, “I’m a friend of Archie and Veronica’s.” 

She looks at him, but doesn’t say anything. Her eyes dance around his face and then his body. He’s used to people ogling him, but there’s something different about this. She isn’t looking at him like she _wants_ to get to know him. She’s looking at him like she has no interest of ever doing that. She isn’t looking at him rudely, but there’s a blank look in her eyes that lets him know she isn’t looking at him with interest either. She’s just getting an idea of who ran right into her.

“Betty,” she finally offers. “I’m Betty Cooper.” 

He doesn’t know what to do so he nods. He feels awkward, something he’s not used to, and he doesn’t know if he likes it or not. For the first time in years, he doesn’t know what to say to a girl. He’s usually so good at this, but for the life of him he cannot think of anything to say or do right now. For once, the roles are reversed--he feels uncomfortable because he knows more about her than she knows about him.

“Well, have a good day,” Betty Cooper says, beating him to it. She adjusts her book bag and he notices that she’s holding a big thermos that’s steaming. It has to be coffee, so maybe she didn’t get enough sleep. Not like it’s any of his business really. She leans down to pick up a box that he hadn’t even realized was there and he steps forward. 

“Do you need some help with that?” He doesn’t know why, but he really doesn’t want her to leave just yet. 

“No, thank you,” she says, still quietly. 

“Really, let me help, I--.” 

“Mr. Jones,” she cuts through, her voice doesn’t sound soft anymore. “I appreciate the offer, but I do know who you are.” Jughead looks at her in confusion. Why is that a bad thing? “Which is why I also know that you were recently caught drinking and driving.” He’s confused for all of two seconds before he realizes exactly why that’s an issue to her. His face goes pale and he feels like he might throw up. “I know you’re staying with my neighbours, and I hope you enjoy your stay here in Riverdale. But please understand that I have my reservations, and respect that I do not wish to talk with you.” 

So much for knowing more about her than she knows about him.

He doesn’t say anything; he _can’t_ say anything. He’s frozen to the ground as he watches her gather up her things and make her way to the white Malibu that’s parked next to the sidewalk. He stays there long after she leaves. 

.

.

.

 

Veronica is making breakfast when he gets back to the house and Archie is getting ready for work upstairs. Jughead means to sneak past the both of them, not wanting to see anyone, but of course Veronica notices him as soon as he steps inside. 

“Hey, beanie boy,” she says, despite the fact he hasn’t worn that damn thing in nearly a decade. “Where’d you go?” 

“Just a run.” He feels sick and his voice is a little shaky, something that Veronica picks up on right away. She turns around to look at him. 

“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?” 

It’s a valid question. Back when he still lived in Riverdale, he’d never run if he could help it. He contemplates just walking back to his room and ignoring her. Why should he tell Veronica anything? She would probably get mad at him or something just as annoying; it seemed like her. He doesn’t want a speech from her and he also doesn’t want her to make him feel worse than he already does. Which is the hard enough truth to try and face. When he was driving that night with Sara, as he learned _was_ her real name, and drinking, he hadn’t cared. When the cop pulled him over and arrested him, he hadn’t cared. When they were at the jail, which he only remembered _after_ he’d woken up and had breakfast when Matt and Cara were done chewing him out, he hadn’t cared. When he was on the plane and he could see people pointing and whispering in his direction, he hadn’t cared. He had never cared about any of it until Betty Cooper, a woman he doesn’t even know, looked him in his eyes and told him she had no intention of even just _talking_ to him, because of that very incident. 

He can tell that she’s the type of person who probably gets along with everyone. From the pictures he’s seen of her, she looks sweet and friendly. Even right now when she had been all but telling him off, she hadn’t been mean about it. She was stern and sure of herself, but she wasn’t mean. Her voice, though it had not been the whisper it was at first, was still gentle. The realization that he managed to get on her bad side without even actually trying to is like a bucket of ice-cold water. 

“Jug?” 

“I ran into Betty Cooper outside,” he blurts out and curses himself for it when Veronica raises her eyebrows in interest. He doesn’t tell her that he _literally_ ran into her, because he doesn’t want to get chewed out for that as well. 

“Oh? Did you say hi? She’s really sweet, isn’t she?” 

He grimaces. Of course she expected them to get along right away, because apparently Betty Cooper is just that nice of a person. Too bad Jughead was Jughead and he’s the one person she is very decidedly _not_ interested in getting along with; not that he can blame her at all. 

“I don’t think she likes me very much.” 

Veronica frowns but doesn’t say anything. It’s getting pretty awkward and he’s about to turn around and just leave whenever her bacon start popping and she screams before trying to get it to stop. Jughead snorts and she turns to scowl at him. 

“What do you mean she doesn’t like you? How did you manage to upset her already, Jughead? She’s practically an angel, that’s a new low even for you.” Now it’s his turn to scowl. 

“I didn’t mean to!” He defends, but regrets it when he realizes that now he’s going to have to tell Veronica exactly what happened. He should have just shut up and went up to his room. “I, well, she kind of knew about the whole DUI thing.” Which isn’t a surprise at all. It had been on the front page of every major magazine in the continental U.S. He’s embarrassed as he thinks about how fucked up he had actually looked in the picture. It was disgusting and he was ashamed of it. He wishes he could go back and just let his driver take him home, but you don’t get redos in this life, which he was finally starting to pay attention to. 

“Oh,” Veronica says quietly. She turns off the stove and gives him her full attention. “Jughead…” 

“Don’t.” He shakes his head. “Don’t. I know, okay? I know that I’m an asshole, I don’t need you to remind me of it.” 

“I wasn’t going to say that,” and bless her heart, she actually looks offended that he had thought she would, “what you did was incredibly stupid and reckless. You could have killed someone, but you didn’t. _You_ were lucky. Betty wasn’t. She has to live with the fact that her husband would still be alive if some guy had just decided to get someone else to drive him home; she has to live with that _every day_. You can’t blame her for being upset at seeing someone who did the exact same thing as the guy who took her husband’s life.” 

And he knows that, of course he does, but it does upset him. He’s not the one who killed her husband. He doesn’t think he deserves to be treated as such. When he tells Veronica this, she just looks disappointed, which is worse than her angry look. 

“No, but you’re the problem. You’re one of the very many people who think it’s okay to get behind the wheel while drunk because _‘Oh, I’ve done it before it’ll be okay. I’m not that drunk. I don’t even live that far away. It’s late, no one will be out. It’s okay’_. Until the day that it’s not. And you’re a public figure, Jughead. You get arrested for a DUI and are let go with a slap on the wrist after a couple of hours. People see that, your _fans_ see that, and if Jughead Jones can do it, why can’t they?” She smiles at him sadly. “So no, you didn’t actually kill anyone, but you’re a big part of the problem. And you don’t owe Betty an apology, but you owe the world one. This person you’re pretending to be, this person you actually _think_ you are, it’s not you. And as long as you keep pretending, you’re going to hurt people even though you don’t mean to. You need to come to grips with the fact that the world can, and will, pass judgement on you. And it won’t be pleasant.” She says it so softly and so sadly that he knows she isn’t just talking about the rest of the world. 

“Did I hurt you?” He asks her. He can tell that she’s caught off guard by the question. Her eyes widen and her mouth opens slightly, like she isn’t sure how to answer that question. He knows that he hurt Archie, she had let him know just how much, but she never outright said how she felt about everything. At first, he hadn’t even taken her into consideration, but lately he’s starting to see that he might have hurt her a lot more than he ever meant to. 

She sighs. “It’s like I said the other day, you were my best friend, Jughead. I know that I wasn’t yours and that’s okay, but you were mine. It was a small world, and you were part of mine. You always were. So yes, you did hurt me.” 

It hurts him more than he thought possible, to know that not only did he hurt Archie but he had also hurt Veronica. Had he really become so distant from everyone and everything that he hadn’t even noticed how he was hurting the people that he would have gladly gone to war for before? He wants to apologize, but he doesn’t even know where to start. Nothing he says is going to be enough and he knows that. 

“I didn’t mean to,” he says instead. “I never wanted to.” Because that’s the truth. He hadn’t meant to hurt Veronica, he had _never_ wanted to hurt her. And yet he had. And it had taken him just short of a decade to realize that. He feels so _stupid_ for it when he thinks of all the little ways Veronica had loved him. Doing his homework for him after a long night of fighting with his dad. Giving him a place to stay despite her awful parents when things got too bad. She bought him a shirt once, because she was tired of seeing him “come to school in rags”. He thinks he threw it out.

“I know. I guess I can’t really blame you, though. Who would pick Riverdale over Hollywood?” She tries to make it sound like a joke, but there’s a pain to her voice that lets him know just how much she _isn’t_ joking. 

He wants to tell her that he would pick Riverdale over Hollywood, because he knows that’s what she wants to hear, but he can’t. It isn’t true. He has no desire to stay here. Aside from his friends, what is there here for him? Even if in some alternate universe he _did_ want to stay in Riverdale, what the hell would he do? There was nothing here for him. He would probably follow in the footsteps of his father; become a drunk who couldn’t even manage to keep a job or take care of his family. He’d marry some small town girl and then drive her away, making her take his children with her only to ever see them every other year or send cards to on Christmas. It leaves a bitter taste in his mouth and that anger that he thought he’d let go of years ago comes back full force. He tries to will the thoughts away. The past is the past and he can’t change any of it. 

Veronica turns away from him to get some plates out of the cabinet. She’s still so tiny that she has to tiptoe to reach the ones up high. Jughead walks over and helps her. 

“Thank you,” she says as she takes the plates. 

She looks so small and helpless in a way that he’s never seen before. Did he do this? Fuck. Was he just making everything worse by being here? Veronica had been so happy to see him at first but it feels like the longer he’s here, the sadder she becomes. He hates it. 

So before he can talk himself out of it, before he can think twice, he leans forward and wraps his arms around her tightly. It’s like the hug she had given him when he first arrived to her house, but this time she’s the one who’s taken aback. It only takes a few seconds for her to throw her own arms back around him. 

“You were my best friend too,” he whispers to her, because that’s all he can say right now. He wants to say sorry but he can’t. Saying sorry isn’t going to change anything. Veronica deserves more than a meaningless sorry. Her and Archie both do. 

Before she can answer him, Archie clears his throat. 

“My best friend and my wife? Wow, guys, this is quite the betrayal.” 

Jughead snorts, but when he pulls away from Veronica, there’s this glint in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. She smiles. It’s small, but it’s there.

“You know you’re the only one for me,” she says to Archie and now Jughead gags. 

“It’s nice to know you two are still as ridiculously disgusting as you had been in high school.” 

“One day you’ll be the same way,” Archie says. “I have faith in you.” 

“Don’t know if that’s something I’d wanna put faith in.” Being in a relationship is the last thing he’s thinking about after the disaster that had been Jade. Maybe he just needs to be single for a while. Actually, he’s pretty sure that’s _exactly_ what he needs to do. 

“You wanna come by today?” Archie asks him. Everyday he asks Jughead to stop by the construction site and everyday Jughead makes up some excuse. He can tell by Archie’s face that he’s expecting it to go the same way now. 

“Sure,” Jughead says, surprising everyone in the room, including himself. “There’s just something I need to take care of first, but maybe I can stop by around lunch time? We all know I can’t cook so I can pick us up something from Pop’s.” 

Archie’s eyes are wide and shining brightly at Jughead like he just hung the damn moon and gifted it to him. 

“Yeah!” Archie nearly squeals out. Jughead has to bite down on his lip so he doesn’t laugh at his old friend’s eagerness. “You know my favorite, right?” He’s not testing him, Jughead knows this, but it still feels like a test. Which is why it feels like a victory when he nods. 

“Loaded burger, extra pickles, extra lettuce and onion rings. You think I’d forget that?” 

Archie just laughs before clapping him on the shoulder and walking over to the fridge. 

Veronica though, Veronica’s looking at Jughead like she’s seeing him for the first time. And maybe in a way, she is. He smiles at her, cautiously, and she blinks a few times before grinning back at him. Baby steps. He just needs to take baby steps here. 

He walks back up to his room and settles down on the bed, getting his phone out and opening up Instagram. He takes a deep breath and starts a live video. 

“Hey, everyone,” he greets. It’s barely 6:30 in the morning over here, but already a hundred people are watching the livestream. He pauses and waits for the number to go up more. Once he’s satisfied, he starts again. “There’s a lot that I want to say right now… a lot of things that are on my mind, I guess, but there’s one thing specifically that I need to speak out and apologize for.” 

He’s never done this before and it feels a little alien to him. He probably should have told Matt and Cara about this, but he doubts they’ll be upset. Perspective and all that. 

So he does something he hasn’t done in years and he apologizes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: dinner and more apologies. Jughead tries again with Betty.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING:** This chapter has mentions of a past miscarriage. It's not graphic by any means, it's literally just mentioned, but I'm putting this warning in the case of that being something that could upset anyone. The scene takes place whenever Jughead walks out of the restaurant. 
> 
> Thank you to Ten for being the greatest friend and beta. Fics aren't the same when you're not helping me with them. <3 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Jughead Jones Takes to Instagram to Apologize**  
By Mary-Anne Cruz 

_Four-time Academy Award winner Jughead Jones has been involved in no shortage of scandalous behaviour lately, the most recent being his drunken driving spree leading to a DUI charge on the night of his third Oscar win. Jones was detained for a total of three hours before being sent on his merry way; something that had a lot of people upset over._

_Twitter had the movie star’s name trending for two days straight. While at first glance it may seem that his fans were trying to defend the actor, a quick look showed that they were doing anything but. Many users shared their own experiences with drunk driving and how it negatively impacted their lives and have tried to open a dialogue about his incredibly inappropriate behaviour. It’s very easy to see why so many are upset over the fact that Jones was seen not even twenty-four hours later at LAX, clearly a free man_

_The world was left in suspense as we all sat around and wondered where Hollywood’s Troubled Son could have gone. Well, worry no longer! The twenty-six year old took to Instagram Live to apologize for his recent actions and even gave us a little life update from what appears to be an unknown location._

_“I’m visiting some old friends for a while,” he says as he looks down at his hands. At first glance you may think he’s reading a script, but then we see that his hands are visibly shaking. “And being here has kind of opened my eyes up a little to everything I’ve been doing wrong.”_

_“I don’t want to be the guy who’s known for always doing these horrible things, I never wanted to be that person, but I have to accept that somewhere along the way, I did become him; that I am him. And there’s really no excuse for that, so all I can say is that I’m sorry and I’m trying to be better, but I am human and I will make a few mistakes.”_

_This is the first time Jones has publicly admitted his wrongs and viewers were quick to show him that they stand by him doing what he needs to do to get his life on the right track again. Representatives of Jones’ team have declined to comment._

 

“Does this taste weird to you?” Veronica holds out a piece of meat to Archie, who gladly takes it before spitting it out onto the napkin he’d been holding. Veronica’s face falls while Archie proceeds to chug his drink in desperation to wash out the flavour. Jughead has to refrain from laughing. He’s not sure that Veronica would appreciate that very much. “Wow, okay. You could have just said yes.” 

“What was _in_ that?” Archie gags out. 

“I tried making my own sauce for it.” She pouts at the offending food. She leans down a little like she wants to try it out herself, but stops at the last minute when Archie coughs out again. “Well, fine. I’ll just stick with the original sauce!” 

“I’m not saying that.” Archie reaches out and wraps an arm around Veronica before she can leave his side. She yelps out in surprise before falling into his lap rather ungracefully. Neither seem upset about that. “We can just work on different combos before we find something we like. The sauce you’re using right now is enough to hold off everyone, I’m sure.” Veronica rolls her eyes fondly. 

It’s interesting to watch them like this, painfully domestic and happy. Sure, they had always been disgustingly in love and affectionate in high school, but watching them as a married couple is different. There’s an ease in their movements, a comfort lying beneath them. It’s the same old dance they’ve always been doing, but now there’s the knowing that this is _it_ ; _they_ are it. No one and nothing is going to pull the rug out from under them and there’s no vultures circling them waiting for information, it’s just them. He’s never had that kind of comfort and security. Aside from Jade, he’d never seriously dated anyone and sometimes he wonders if he can even count her. They’d dated for what seemed like a lifetime and although he feels like he did care for her, he can’t understand _how_. How had he cared for her when it seemed now as though he’d never even really known her? Had they ever even had a meaningful conversation? She had cried to him once when her cat got a little sick, but other than that, she never showed him who she really was underneath all the smiles and compliments. Lord knows Jughead hadn’t exactly shown her who he was either. The thing is, he can’t picture himself opening up to anyone like that now. Who could he even trust in this world? Especially now that he wasn't just some normal guy from Riverdale anymore. 

“So,” Jughead speaks up, “I don’t remember you telling me that this place was more of a speakeasy than a restaurant.” It’s the exact kind of place that he would see Veronica owning, and he can’t help but think that it certainly has that Lodge family charm. Veronica may have abandoned contact with her family, but she hasn’t lost the interior decorating skills her parents passed onto her, he thinks as he looks at the fixtures around the room. He looks around at the open bar and the casino tables and the live singer that’s currently belting out a bunch of songs his grandparents used to love. It makes a lot more sense than the small family restaurant he has been picturing in his mind. 

“Yeah, well, surprise.” She looks around as well, as if she doesn’t know this place like the back of her hand. “You know, Cheryl sings here sometimes.”

“No shit?” 

“Toni too,” Archie grins and that has Jughead raising his eyebrows in surprise. Toni _hated_ singing, or at least she had. 

“Yeah, Wednesday night we do karaoke,” Veronica explains. 

“Karaoke? This place doesn’t look very… karaoke-y.” 

“First off all, you can’t add a ‘y’ onto a word and try to pass it off as an actual word. It just sounds dumb. Second of all, that’s the whole point! It’s fun, it’s exhilarating, and it’s even a little raunchy.” Veronica is grinning so big that Jughead’s scared it might fall off her face, but he won’t dare say that. 

Things have been good between them. It’s a little easier to talk to Veronica now and therefore it’s easier to be around Archie. He knows that he needs to address everything unsaid with the other boy; it’s the absolute least he can do. He just needs to talk to him one-on-one and try to clear the air and apologize for everything. Although it seems like Archie is perfectly okay with _everything_ which is weird and confusing. His old friend hasn’t shown the smallest bit of hurt or anger since Jughead’s been here. If he didn’t know any better, he would think that everything is fine between them, that Archie was completely okay, but he does know better. Veronica had let him know just how much he had hurt Archie. So why wouldn’t he say anything? Why does he just keep pretending that everything is okay between them? It doesn’t make any sense at all. But now is not the time to think about that. 

“You should come,” Veronica tells him, “I think you’d have fun.” 

“Uh, no thanks. I don’t sing.” Even when his stupid team on _Freakshow_ had tried to get him to sing a creepy remix of some 80’s song, he’d refused. Singing was not something he was okay with doing in front of other people. That was reserved for his shower and days when he was feeling extra alive; which were few and far between if he’s being honest with himself. Hell, now that he thinks about it, he can’t remember the last time he sang aloud. He wonders if he should count that as some kind of terrible loss in his life, but he decides against it. It’s not like singing by yourself was some kind of monumental thing. 

“Well, just come anyway. You’ll have fun! Besides, if dinner goes good this weekend, you’ll be dying to join along on the fun.” 

Right, dinner. When he had agreed to all of that, he wasn’t exactly _agreeing_ with any of it. It was a thing everyone did in Hollywood. They’d say _Oh my god, hi, how are you?_ They’d mention how it’s been _so long_ and they need to catch up soon. They make plans. They promise to see each other. They never actually do. It was a vicious cycle, but it was one that he lived by and found solace in. He’s not sure why he expected the same pleasantries to apply in Riverdale. 

It’s not that he doesn’t want to hang out with everyone again, because he kind of does. After his apology on Instagram two nights ago, he’s been feeling like maybe it’s time to turn a new stone over and try again, to try _harder_. Coming to Veronica’s “restaurant” to spend free time with her and Archie was him trying harder and it was going pretty okay if you asked him. Getting dinner with his old group of friends would also be considered trying harder, but maybe a little too hard if you asked him. It was fine when he was one-on-one with the groups, but to sit there with everyone? What if they all expected him to be someone he wasn’t anymore? Veronica understands that he’s trying his hardest here and she doesn’t push him on it. Archie is so content playing pretend that Jughead’s sure he could disappear forever and the redhead would still smile and call him his best friend. But Toni, Cheryl, and Reggie? They’re different. They probably expect the old Jughead. He doesn’t want to have to disappoint them. 

“Yeah, okay,” he says lightly. Veronica must know that it’s a silent plea for her to back off and she just smiles and nods in understanding before turning back to Archie to get him to try something else on her plate. Jughead watches them contently. It’s nice to be the one watching someone else’s life for a change, especially when that person is living a way better life than he is. 

.

.

.

He doesn’t get much rest these days. If it’s not waking up at three in the morning to be on location, then it’s waking up at five in the morning to fly out for an appearance somewhere. Jughead doesn’t get free days or free time and he sure as shit doesn’t get to sleep in anymore. That’s one of the very few things that he loves about being back in Riverdale now; he doesn’t have anything to do so he can sleep as much as he wants. 

Which is why the sound of his phone ringing during his sleep is enough to make him want to hurl something across the room. He considers doing just that with the offending object, but stops himself at the last minute. As much as he _can_ afford to just go out and buy a new phone or five of them if he really wanted, he probably shouldn’t. Todd the Techy had always been a weirdo in highschool and now that he runs the only place in Riverdale where you can get a new phone, _thank you for the info Veronica_ , Jughead would rather just stay away.

So he picks up his phone, cries a little to himself when he sees that it’s three in the morning, and then groans when he sees that it’s Jade calling him. He hasn’t heard from her since their blowout fight and he can’t imagine why she’d be calling him right now. He almost ignores her call, but he knows that won’t do any good. He feels painfully stupid for not putting his phone on silent instead of just muting social media. In fact, she’d probably trace his signal and show up here if he ignored her for long enough. And while that might make for an interesting time and a very dramatic tabloid scandal, he doesn’t need that kind of publicity or stress. So he answers the call. 

“It’s three in the morning,” he says as a greeting. His voice is thick with sleep and his throat hurts a little as it tries to get used to working again. “What the hell do you want?” 

“Are you seeing someone?” The shrill voice on the other end yells out. He’s so taken aback by the question, that in the time that it takes him to try and weed out everything that’s wrong with this entire scenario, Jade is yelling again. “Is that why you left? To be with some small town girl? I swear to God, Jughead, there is something seriously wrong with you!” 

“Jade,” he snaps, the fog of sleep clearing up, “what the actual fuck are you talking about? It’s three in the goddamn morning, you’ve just woken me up, and I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

His phone buzzes against his cheek and he squints his eyes as he looks at what Jade’s just sent him. And then he wishes he couldn’t read at all. 

**JUGHEAD JONES REUNITES WITH EX LOVER AND HEIRESS CHERYL BLOSSOM**

He nearly chokes on nothing as he skims over the article. Someone must have spotted them at the grocery store because there’s a picture of the two of them hugging right next to a bunch of cake mixes and Funfetti. Sure, Cheryl’s hugging him like he’s the Jack to her Rose and they’re about to die at any given second, but come on. _Cheryl_? She didn’t even swing that way and if she did, she had made it abundantly clear that she could never be with someone as tasteless as he was; assuming she’s held her stance from high school. 

The article goes on to say that they were high school lovers that fell for each other while working on their school play and the details of their kiss, _his first kiss_ , are written right there in front of him. It’s a disgusting invasion on his privacy, especially since he was a teenager at the time, and it’s even more disgusting because he knows that someone he went to highschool with had to have sold this story. Considering the current state of his public image, it must have fetched a pretty penny. Jesus fuck, could you trust no one these days? By the time he reaches the end of the article, he’s seeing red. 

Cheryl’s a friend. Sure, they’d never been the closest of pals especially back in high school when Cheryl was grieving, but she was a damn good friend and she didn’t deserve this. He’s surprised it’s taken this long for a story to drop about him over here, but of course when it does, it’s that he’s in love with Cheryl fucking Blossom. Why did he even come back here? He was going to ruin his friends’ lives. Soon enough all their names would be dragged through the mud with his. He can see it now. 

**Archie and Jughead: Friends or More?**

**Jughead Jones Abandons Hollywood To Steal Best Friend’s Wife.**

**Jughead Jones, Homewrecker, Falls For His Best Friend’s Wife AND His Best Friend.**

Fuck, this is a nightmare. 

“An heiress?” Jade screeches again and Jughead had almost forgotten about her until just now. “She doesn’t even actually do anything! Could you get any lower?” 

And for some reason, that’s the icing on top of this horrible cake for him. 

“Listen to me, Jade,” he says quietly but sharply. “Do not call me at three in the morning again for something as stupid as tabloid gossip. You should know better. And _stop_ acting like you’re my girlfriend, you _aren’t_. Anything I do now does _not_ concern you anymore. And do not ever call me and talk badly about my friends, do you understand me?” No one knows what Cheryl has gone through; the heartache and depression and the fact that she had been so distraught over losing her twin, the _literal_ other half of her, that she had tried to commit suicide. No one in Los Angeles or anywhere else knows about how hard she fought to overcome the sadness and guilt and pure emptiness that she had felt. No one knows how she took all the horrible and ugly things in her life and made them _good_ ; made them something to be proud of. No one knows that. They were never even that close, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to let _anyone_ try to make Cheryl Blossom seem less than she really is. 

“So she’s just a friend?” Is what his ex decides to settle on after a beat and Jughead has had more than enough of this conversation. He hangs up the phone without warning and puts it on Do Not Disturb. He’s sure he’s going to have a bunch of missed calls and texts from her, but that can wait until the morning; the _actual_ morning. Jughead even wonders if it’s worth googling how much it costs to get a restraining order.

He’s never cared much for tabloid gossip. He’d learned early on that it was something that just came with the territory and he’s learned to ignore it all, but his _Riverdale_ friends? Trying to go through their lives and make up a bunch of bullshit just for a “good” story? That was too much. He highly doubts that Cheryl will care at all about this. She’ll probably get a good laugh out of it, but that’s not the point. What happens when it’s someone who isn’t Cheryl? When it’s someone that wants nothing to do with Hollywood or all the prying eyes? Sometimes he hates that this is just the norm for him, because he knows that it probably shouldn’t be. He feels desensitized, like a caged cat that’s been shocked a hundred times and doesn’t really care anymore. But he’s only been here for a little over a week, but what used to be mild annoyance and complacency feels like fire in his chest now. But this _is_ his life and this is his job. So he just has to suck it up. 

After he puts his phone back onto the bedside table, he tosses and turns for about ten minutes before he finally accepts that he isn’t going back to bed anytime soon. He’s annoyed beyond words. This is supposed to be his “vacation” time and yet here he is, wide awake and pissed off because his ex girlfriend doesn’t know how to leave things alone. This is exactly why he doesn’t do relationships. 

With a sigh that’s way too dramatic and angry, he swings his legs off of the bed and sits up, rubbing his eyes with his hands so hard that he begins to see stars behind his eyelids. It’s way too quiet in the house and the streets of Riverdale actually go to sleep at reasonable hours as opposed to his gated community in LA, which never seems to sleep. Archie and Veronica are still out cold, which should make him happy. He really doesn’t want to have to explain to them why he’s this upset right now, but for some reason, a little part of him wishes that they _were_ awake. It would be nice to talk to someone, he thinks, instead of keeping these thoughts and feelings bottled up in him. But what could he even say? Where would he start? _Sorry, my ex girlfriend called to scream at me after some tabloid writers ripped Cheryl to shreds since we hugged at the grocery store. By the way, you guys are probably next in line for the same treatment_. There’s no point. When this little trip is all wrapped up and over, he’ll go back to California and leave Riverdale in the rearview mirror like he had all those years ago. All the venting and opening up would be for nothing. Who was it going to help? No one. He would go back to California and be alone all over again. No one listens to him over there, so why would anyone listen to him here? 

He’s about to go and take a shower to try and keep his mind distracted, when he hears a door slam from somewhere in the distance. At first he thinks that maybe it’s coming from the master bedroom and he strains his ears to try and see if Archie and Veronica are awake, but he can’t hear the sound of their footsteps. The door slams again and that’s when he realizes that it’s coming from outside of the house. He walks over to the window in the room and glances out of it to see if there’s anything strange going on. 

Instead his eyes catch sight of Betty Cooper. She’s sitting next to one of the flower beds that rest all along her yard. This one is a beautiful circle of something he cannot really see, not in the dark. She isn’t moving or doing anything at all; she’s just staring at the flowers. She’s in pajamas, that much he can see, and her blonde hair is down and shining in the moonlight. 

He’s reminded of their conversation from the other day and that shame that he had felt then comes back tenfold right now. He wants to talk to her again, just to apologize if nothing else. He knows that she wants nothing to do with him and he’s prepared to accept that, but for some reason he just really needs to apologize. He’s not sure why he cares so much about what some random woman thinks about him, but he does. 

He’s aware of just how creepy he looks right now; staring out of his window to watch his neighbour, but he’s intrigued and a little concerned. It’s half past three in the morning now. What was she doing awake? Has she slept at all or does she just do this every single night? 

A part of him wants to walk outside and ask her, but he’s more than positive that would end with him getting pepper sprayed or kicked in the nuts. So, after a few more minutes, he steps away from the window and walks to the bathroom like he’d planned to at first. He stands under the hot water for more than thirty minutes and his skin is pruned and red. 

When he comes back out, Betty Cooper is still sitting by the flowers. 

.

.

.

Dinner is interesting. 

They’ve decided to go to a new steakhouse in town and while the steaks aren’t anything that he would ever crave again, they’re decent enough to enjoy. He finds himself captivated in watching how everyone moves and acts now. Cheryl, as he had already guessed, is far more open and carefree than she ever was when they were in high school. Toni is still Toni, but she’s more comfortable around everyone else when she never was before. She was never a cold person, but she didn’t trust people easily and she let them know it. But dinner has held less snippy comebacks and more genuine laughter than he expected. While she had never been rude to any of them, she was never exactly kind either. She’s a friend. Reggie is Reggie, virtually unchanged, and Jughead would hate if he were anything else. It’s different to see them all hanging out and laughing and talking like this, but it’s a welcoming kind of different. Jughead has to wonder how he fits into this equation right now or if he even does. 

“So who’s the coolest celeb you’ve met?” Cheryl asks as she takes a bite of her broccoli. It takes Jughead a few seconds to realize that she’s talking to him. 

“I don’t know. I went to a party at Leo’s once. That was kind of surreal.” 

Everyone is quiet. 

“Dude, are you on a first name basis with Leonardo DiCaprio? On a _nickname_ basis?” Reggie looks completely floored. 

He has to refrain from rolling his eyes, because he’s sure that he’d be looking at himself the same way if he were them. Sometimes, when he really stops and thinks about it, _he’s_ not even sure if he can believe any of it. 

“Yeah,” he answers, wishing that they would stop looking at him like _that_. “He’s a really cool guy.” 

Reggie snorts, amused and still shocked. “A ‘really cool guy’. Imagine being so friendly with Leonardo DiCaprio that you just refer to him as a pretty cool guy.” 

“I don’t have to imagine,” Jughead says, teasing. They laugh, but he regrets saying it.

“Well, maybe you can introduce me to some of your cool friends,” Cheryl says, “considering I’m your secret lover and all.” Everyone laughs, Toni included, and Jughead just gives her a bemused look. Just as he had thought, Cheryl had been absolutely living for the stupid article about them. She acted like it was the funniest thing to ever happen, and maybe it was to her. He’s just glad that she wasn’t pissed off by it. He would have felt horrible if it had upset her. 

“I still can’t believe everyone thinks you’re together,” Toni says, looking the exact picture of amused. “And just because of a hug.” 

He wishes that he could agree, but honestly he’s been rumored to have dated girls for a lot less. He once helped a complete stranger carry a box to her car in the grocery store parking lot and the next day they were secret lovers on their way to a happy marriage. So yeah, it was almost sad just how used to all of this he actually was. 

“Did you see the people that were trying to shop her look?” Veronica asks with a smirk. “They had links to all these designers and were trying to argue over whether your pants were Brunello Cucinelli or Balmain.” 

“Try Target,” Cheryl says smugly, “and I got them for fifty percent off.” Reggie leans over to high-five her and Jughead smiles at the action. It’s also nice to see that Cheryl’s apparently not all about big name brands like she had been in high school and she isn’t drowned in the colour red. It just added to that happy and comfortable feeling that she gave off now. “So Jug, how long are you gracing us with your presence?” She asks it in the most sincere of ways. He knows that she isn’t trying to start anything or even pick at him for having basically forgotten them, but it’s like he can physically feel the way Veronica tenses up. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Archie’s shoulders drop just-so-slightly, in a way Jughead wouldn’t have noticed had Veronica not been so harsh with him just a few days before.

They haven’t actually discussed the whole _leaving _thing yet. Granted, it’s not like he’s up and leaving tomorrow, but he feels like a piece of Archie is still holding out hope that he’ll change his mind; that he’ll decide to choose Riverdale over Los Angeles. It’s a hope that he doesn’t really want to crush, not anymore at least, but one that he _has_ to. Los Angeles is his life now; it’s his home, it’s who he is. Nothing can change that. He doesn’t _want_ anything to change that, he reminds himself. __

__“About two more weeks, give or take.” Matt hasn’t exactly given him a date and Jughead hasn’t offered one either. Four weeks are four weeks, though. His time here has an expiration date and he can’t forget it. No one else can either._ _

__“So soon?” Reggie asks and damn if he doesn’t look a little put off by it._ _

__“Yeah,” Jughead says, playing with his asparagus to try not to focus on his old friends all looking at him in sadness with hearts full of expectations he can’t meet. He clears his throat and smiles. “There’s this movie I might do, so I want to get back as soon as possible. Besides, there’s really no reason for me to stay.” It’s not the right thing to say. He knows it as soon as the words leave his lips. He can practically feel Veronica’s eyes burning into him. He glances over at Archie and the redhead is looking anywhere but at him._ _

__“Oh,” Cheryl says, obviously trying to fill the silence. “Well, what movie is it?”_ _

__Before he can answer, Archie stands up and excuses himself from the table. Veronica stands up to follow him but he places a gentle hand on hers and tells her to sit down. Jughead’s a little amazed when she actually listens to him. The amazement dies as soon as she whirls around to face him; her hair hitting Reggie in the face who whines at the impact._ _

__“What is wrong with you?” It’s almost funny. Just the other day she had been asking him something similar; nearly begging him to tell her what happened to him, what went so wrong with him. He didn’t have an answer for her then and he doesn’t have one now. But last time this wasn’t happening in front of his friends either. “Are you _trying_ to hurt him?” _ _

__“No,” he says, pleading with her to understand. He isn’t trying to hurt Archie. That’s the last thing he wants to do. But it’s like one step forward and five steps back with him. He doesn’t know how to be Archie’s friend and he doesn’t know how to try and he doesn’t know _how to stop hurting him_. He doesn’t know anything. _ _

__“It’s his job, babe,” Toni says to Veronica, gently like she’s trying to calm down the other girl. “You can’t be mad at him for wanting to do his job.” And he could kiss Toni right now for understanding, but that would result in him getting punched by several people sitting at this table._ _

__“No,” Veronica agrees, “I can’t. But I can be mad at the fact that all he’s done since he’s been with us, is show us just how much he wishes he wasn’t. You know, Jones, I really thought that you apologizing had changed something in you, but you’re way past that.” She stands up and the glare she gives him is enough to have him feeling like the worst kind of human. “You should have never called him and I wish you would have stayed in California. Archie’s better off without you. _We are better off without you.”__ _

___Archie’s better off without you. We are better off without you._ _ _

____I’m better off without you, boy. You ain’t done nothing except cause me trouble since the day you were born._ _ _ _

___The words hit him so hard that he actually slumps back into his seat in shock. He hasn’t thought about that in so long, but Veronica’s words had triggered something inside of him that he thought he’d long since forgotten and gotten over. He doesn’t even realize he’s shaking until Reggie reaches out for him._ _ _

___“You good, bro?”_ _ _

___“She shouldn’t have said that to you,” Toni tells him, frowning._ _ _

___“I’ll go talk to her,” Cheryl says and gets up to follow Veronica to the restroom._ _ _

___“I um,” he shakes his head. _I’m better off without you_. “I need some air.” He gets up so quickly that he nearly drops the chair behind him. Toni and Reggie are looking at him like he’s lost his mind, but he doesn’t stay to explain himself to them. _ _ _

___He all but runs out of the restaurant, ignoring all the looks and whispers around him. He just needs air. He just needs to sit down and take a deep breath. It will be okay; they’ll forgive him. They have to forgive him. It’s not his fault. He didn’t mean to, he doesn’t know how to stop._ _ _

___He’s about to sit down in a bench in front of the restaurant until he takes note of the red hair standing out in the darkness. He considers going back inside, but decides that that’s ridiculous. Once upon a time, Archie had been a brother to him. They could practically read each other’s mind. They were inseparable and Jughead would have done anything for him. There is no reason to run away from him, now or ever. But he’s scared. He’s terrified and he doesn’t know why._ _ _

___Still though, he walks closer and coughs to make himself known. It burns his throat._ _ _

___“Archie?” He calls out, but the other man doesn’t turn around. Jughead knows that he can hear him though, from the way that his shoulders tense up. “Look, I’m sorry. I know I haven’t exactly been the perfect best friend lately, but--.”_ _ _

___“Best friend?” Archie cuts him off as he stands up to face Jughead. Brown eyes that were always so soft and welcoming are now looking at him in a way they never have before; with resentment. “You’ve hardly been a _friend_ , Jughead!” The words are the same ones he’s been telling himself since he came here, but to know that Archie has been thinking the exact same way hurts. Not that he’d believed Archie’s nice demeanor, but it still feel like a shock to hear it. “You leave for nearly a decade; you don’t call, you don’t text, and when you do it’s so obvious that you’d rather be doing anything else. You come down here and act like you can’t wait to leave, but you’re not thinking about what happens when you leave!” To him. Jughead knows that he’s referring to himself. The pain that he feels as he looks at his oldest friend is something that he’ll never be able to describe. _ _ _

___“Archie--.”_ _ _

___“No! I’m so sick of this. I have tried to be a good friend to you. Hell, I’m here practically begging you to spend time with me. Doesn’t that show you how fucked up things are between us?” _Yes_. “I shouldn’t have to beg you. You think you’re suddenly so big and so important that we don’t matter?” _ _ _

___“No, Arch, I don’t think that.”_ _ _

___“You know aside from the first day you got here, you haven’t once asked us how we’ve been or what’s been going on in our lives. And we both know you only asked that because there was nothing else to ask; not because you cared.”_ _ _

___“That’s not true,” he says, but it sounds like a lie even to him._ _ _

___“Then ask me. Right now. Ask me how we’ve been.” It feels like a trap and his voice is shaking as he does exactly that. Nothing could have prepared him for the confession that would leave Archie’s mouth. “Veronica had a miscarriage.”_ _ _

___Jughead blinks. “What?” He says softly, already shaking his head. “No.”_ _ _

___“Why the hell would I lie about that?” Archie nearly yells._ _ _

___“Why…” Jughead stumbles back a little bit. There’s no way. There’s no way something so devastating could happen to them and they _wouldn’t_ tell him. “Why didn’t you call me?” _ _ _

___The anger falls from Archie’s face at that and he looks at Jughead with something that he can only describe as pity. Why would Archie pity _him_?_ _ _

___“I did call you,” he says softly. “While I was waiting in the hospital, I called you.” His words are filled with venom. “ _You didn’t answer._ ” _ _ _

___Jughead stands there, face to face with Archie, both of them looking at the other like they’re searching for answers that aren’t there. The rest of the world has to be moving, but Jughead doesn’t take notice. He can’t hear the loud music coming from inside the restaurant and he can’t hear the sound of all the late night insects singing around them. All he can hear is the sound of his heart pounding against his chest, beating rapidly enough that he’s scared everyone else can hear it. The sound somehow echos around him until it’s all he can hear. And Archie’s face is the only thing he can see._ _ _

___“I don’t…” He trails off, not even knowing what he was going to say. His throat feels dry and his eyes feel as damp as they possibly can be without any tears falling over. His licks his lips, shakes his head, and tries again. “Is she okay?” Maybe it’s a stupid question to ask, but he has to ask it._ _ _

___“She wasn’t, but she’s strong; stronger than anyone I’ve ever met. She’s doing good now; I’m doing good now. And we did it without you.” Archie’s voice is dripping with sorrow and Jughead doesn’t know what to say anymore. He doesn’t think there’s anything he can say right now._ _ _

___Everyone was right about him. He’s an asshole. He doesn’t care about anyone except for himself. He’s mean and he’s heartless and he’s a darkness that clouds over the sun. He hurts people without even trying to because that’s just what he does. Everyone would be better off without him. The only people who _can_ stand him are the assholes in Hollywood who are just like him and even then he’s not so sure. After all, he’s run off to Riverdale without anyone paying too much mind. Maybe he’s just unwanted. Unneeded._ _ _

___“I’m sorry,” he whispers, but he knows it’s not enough. It’ll never be enough. He didn’t show up for the wedding and that was bad enough but the fact that Veronica had a miscarriage and he didn’t know because he didn’t answer his phone? That was unforgivable. What the fuck was he doing that he couldn’t answer it? Probably nothing. He spent a lot of time ignoring Archie’s calls and for what reason? Archie said it was because he thought he was better than all of them, but that’s not true. It’s _not_. _ _ _

___“Don’t apologize to me, man.” Archie reaches out and for a second, Jughead think he’s going to deck him right across the face. Instead he places his hand onto Jughead’s shoulder softly. It’s burning through his shirt and it’s welcoming and dismissive all at the same time. It reminds Jughead of Archie’s father, what he used to do when he was disappointed with them as kids, and he feels sick to his stomach. Jughead forces himself to look Archie in the eyes even though everything in him wants to look away. “You are my brother, always. You can leave Riverdale and never call again and I would still love you. You don’t need to say sorry; I know you’re sorry even if you couldn’t admit it. It used to eat me up, but I forgave you a long time ago, Jughead. When are you going to forgive yourself?”_ _ _

___Archie doesn’t say anything else. He drops his hand from Jughead and walks back to the restaurant, leaving Jughead standing there in shock. It’s too much all at once and there are a million thoughts running around in his mind. He thinks of Veronica, a girl who had cried into his shoulder and sobbed all night when she thought she was pregnant during their junior prom. She had been terrified of what her parents would say, of what Archie would say. She was too young and not at all ready to have kids and she was _scared_._ _ _

____“You don’t understand,” she gasps out between broken sobs. Jughead’s never seen her look like this and it doesn’t take long at all before tears start to well up in his eyes. “My parents will never accept this. They won’t, Jughead. They won’t. And Archie? Archie has dreams! I have dreams! I can’t be a mom right now, not yet. I’m not ready.” She looks up at him, eyes red and puffy and cheeks stained from her tears. “What am I going to do?”_ _ _ _

____Jughead doesn’t even think. He places his hands onto her face and makes her look at him. “You’re going to breathe,” he tells her. “Breathe, Veronica.” And she does. “You’re going to take a test and I’ll buy it for you, okay? No one will ever know it’s yours. You’ll take the test and I’ll wait outside the door for you. And when you come out and we find out the results, we’ll deal with it. Archie would never turn his back on you, okay? And if your parents do kick you out, you can always come sleep at my place. But no matter what happens, no matter who turns their back on you, I am here for you. I will always be here for you.”_ _ _ _

___He thinks of an older Veronica, one who probably wanted a family and tons of children. She’d grown up as an only child and he knows that she had been lonely. She often said she would never do that to her own children. So he thinks of that, he thinks of her happy and excited as she tells Archie the good news. He thinks of their _home_ , one that looked like Archie had built it for their future family. He thinks of her having that ripped away and he thinks of how he didn’t keep his word at all. He hadn’t been there for her. He thinks of all the time he’s spent here so far, trying to deduce what’s wrong with her behaviour since he first arrived, why she had been so happy to see him, why she was so quick and easy to fit him back into her life, but he never could have guessed this would be it. And he can’t forgive himself for that. He can’t forgive himself for any of it. _ _ _

___He looks back at the restaurant and wonders if they’re all back at the table now. Of course he would ruin this night. He ruins everything._ _ _

___He doesn’t think twice before walking away from the restaurant. He hadn’t driven here alone tonight so he doesn’t have a car to get back to the house, but that doesn’t matter. He doesn’t want to go back there right now. He doesn’t have a place there, he made damn sure of that. He wonders how he could have possibly fucked up this bad in life. It feels like he’s been wondering the same thing ever since he showed up here again but he never finds an answer. So he keeps on wondering and wandering._ _ _

___He doesn’t have a destination in mind, but it’s not until he leans over the edge of itchy grass and dips his hand into the cold water that he realizes he’s at Sweetwater River. The very place that holds so many good memories and now he’s tainting it just by being here. He can’t help but to be drawn to this place. The water looks beautiful as the moonlight hits it perfectly. The current is nonexistent right now and he wonders what it would be like to just feel the water all around him. It’s way too cold out and he’d be an idiot to do such a thing at all, but he can’t help leaning over and over until he’s almost about to fall in._ _ _

___“You’ll catch a cold.” He snaps out of his trance and turns around to see whose snuck up on him. He’s shocked to see Betty Cooper standing in front of him. She’s bundled up and completely alone. Her hair is in a bun on the top of her head with a few stray strands flying around her. If he was drunk he might have thought her an angel trying to save him from himself. “You shouldn’t get into the water. It’s too cold right now.” Her voice is soft, just like it had been the last time he talked to her, and he strains to hear her over the river. She always sounds void of any real emotion. She’s not emotionless by any means, but she talks without any kind of feeling. It’s odd and something that he’s not used to; especially not with the friends he grew up with who didn’t know how to shut up and tone it down if their lives depended on it._ _ _

___“I wasn’t going to get in,” he says even though he doesn’t know if that’s the truth._ _ _

___“Okay.” She sniffles a little and he wants to ask her if she’s okay, but he knows that isn’t his place. Hell, she doesn’t even like him. He has no right to ask her such things. “Are you okay?” He looks at her in shock, but her face is still the same impassive thing it always seems to be when he sees her. “I don’t mean to pry but, you’re out here all alone and you seem a little upset.”_ _ _

___“I could say the same for you.” And by all that is holy, a corner of her mouth turns up. It’s not a smile, not at all, but it’s not a frown. It’s gone as quickly as it had showed up._ _ _

___“I like to take walks sometimes. It helps me clear my mind.” He doesn’t have to ask her what she’s trying to clear out. He already knows. He wants to say something, but he doesn’t know what. He can tell she’s about to leave though and for some reason he really doesn’t want that to happen. “Okay, well… enjoy your--.”_ _ _

___“I’m sorry,” he blurts out before he can stop himself. He hadn’t been expecting to say that and he knows that she wasn’t expecting him to say it either from the way her eyes widen. It’s the most expressive she’s been around him._ _ _

___“For what?”_ _ _

___“I… I don’t know.” He laughs even though nothing is funny. Betty tilts her head in confusion but then she squints her eyes at him as if she’s trying to _really_ look at him. “For the other day, I guess. When we met.” He sounds like a dick, but what’s new? _ _ _

___“There’s nothing to apologize for. You don’t know me, I don’t know you. Whatever you choose to do in your life is your business. I just would not like to associate with someone like that. I’m sure you can understand.”_ _ _

___“I can,” he says honestly. “But I don’t want you to think I’m that guy.”_ _ _

___“Aren’t you though?” And isn’t that the million dollar question here. Is he that guy? He thinks he might be but then a part of him thinks he isn’t. It’s a fight with himself that he can never seem to win; it’s impossible. If anything though, tonight showed that maybe he’s more of the bad guy than he originally thought. And fuck if that isn’t like a bucket of ice-cold water pouring over him. Might as well have dived into the river at that point. “And besides, what does it matter what one random woman thinks of you?”_ _ _

___He can’t answer either of those questions. He doesn’t know why it matters to him what she thinks, but for some reason it does. Maybe it’s the fact that she’s the first person, aside from Matt and Cara, who has more or less let him know that he’s an ass. Maybe it’s the fact that he knows the reason _why_ she’s so adamant on not being friendly with him. Maybe it’s the fact that he’s looking at her right now and she isn’t glaring at him and he can see how tired and sad she looks and he doesn’t want to ever add to that. He doesn’t know what he wants--certainly not for her to kiss his ass like the rest of Hollywood had been, but some primal part of his head, the insecure 17 year old who he continues to carry around like baggage, desperately wants for her to not hate him. He doesn’t know how to say any of that to her without sounding like an idiot. So he just answers her first question. It’s the easier one._ _ _

___“I wasn’t always an asshole,” he says softly as if he’s not even sure if he believes the words coming from his mouth. “But I’ve been playing at being one for so long that I don’t know how to stop.” It sounds pathetic even to his own ears. Luckily, Betty doesn’t look like she’s too disgusted by him. “And I think I really fucked up tonight.” He looks at her and she’s looking at him like she’s waiting for him to continue and he doesn’t know why but for some reason he wants to open up to her. So he does, just a little._ _ _

___“I fucked up big time with Archie and Veronica and I… I don’t know how to fix it.” He’s not talking about how dinner had went. He’s talking about the fact that he wasn’t there for them, not just once but twice and when they needed him the most. How do you make up for that? You don’t. You _can’t_. Maybe this is when he accepts the fact that he’s really fucked up; that nothing he does will ever be able to fix what he’s broken. He feels like he’s bared his soul. He feels disgusting._ _ _

___“You’re their best friend,” she tells him. “I’m sure whatever you’ve done can be fixed.” Her voice is a soft melody against the harsh winds and he almost wants to believe her. But he can’t._ _ _

___“I wouldn’t be so sure.”_ _ _

___“Take it from someone who knows, the people that you love, the ones that you really care about, nothing should _ever_ come between you. Whatever bad things you’ve done, apologize. Say sorry and mean it. Try harder. Make an effort. Do not walk away from them with this cloud over your friendship. You’ll regret it if you never try to fix things and life is too short to have regrets as big as that.” _ _ _

___“I don’t know how I could ever make up for it,” he admits. He can feel the stupid tears pooling in his eyes again, but this time he decides to blame it on the cool wind._ _ _

___“Do you love them?” The question surprises him, but he doesn’t hesitate before nodding. Maybe when he first got here he wouldn’t have known how to answer that, but now he does. Everything that happened tonight had opened his eyes. He thinks about Veronica telling them they’re better off without him and his heart cracks. He thinks about Archie saying that they got through everything without him and it feels like he can’t breathe. He thinks about how they’ve tried so hard with him and he hasn’t tried at all and he takes a staggering step backwards. “Then apologize and try again.”_ _ _

___“I feel like all I’m doing is apologizing lately.” He says it more to himself than to anyone else, but she still hears him._ _ _

___“Good. It means you feel remorse for your actions.”_ _ _

___He just nods. It’s a little weird how they’re just standing here in the cold, staring at each other as Jughead all but bares his soul to an almost stranger._ _ _

___“Do you mind if I ask you a question?” She asks suddenly._ _ _

___“Sure, of course.”_ _ _

___“What do you get out of it? The drinking and driving? Why do you do it?”_ _ _

___“I don’t!” He defends quickly before he remembers that _yeah_ , he actually did do that. “I don’t know. I was so pissed off and sick of everyone trying to control my life. I was wasted and for some reason it made me feel like I had control of my life.” _ _ _

___“That’s a horrible thing to say,” Betty whispers, slightly horrified. “There’s no control in that situation. You could have died. You could have killed an innocent person. Control is _not_ synonymous with drinking and driving.” _ _ _

___“I know, I know… I was just pissed off.”_ _ _

___“Pissed off?” She repeats and her voice doesn’t sound gentle anymore. There’s an edge to it that lets him know he’s somehow fucked up yet again. Her volume never changes, but her voice cuts deeper. There’s something in it he can’t explain. “You won an Oscar that night and you were _pissed off_? Why? What possible reason did you have to be pissed off? Was it a good one?” When he doesn’t say anything, she has her answer. “You’re one of the most famous faces in the world. People love you. You’re rich and you probably live in a fancy house with maids and personal chefs and personal drivers. You probably have the nicest cars and the flashiest watches! You’ve got more money than most people could ever dream of!” Her voice grows a hint louder and whole lot angrier as she steps closer to him. “So tell me, why were you so pissed off that you decided to get behind a wheel while drunk? _Tell me!_ ” _ _ _

___And he can’t lie to her, so he tells her the whole stupid, pathetic truth._ _ _

___“They sat me next to my ex girlfriend and she pissed me off.”_ _ _

___“So you got drunk and decided to drive yourself home,” she laughs but there’s no humor behind it. “Two years ago my husband and I were coming home from dinner. We were sober as could be and laughing along to some stupid song with silly lyrics on the radio.” Although her face is etched with anger, there are tears in her eyes that he can see when she’s this close to him. “I looked over to tell him I loved him and the last thing I saw was a pair of blinding headlights. My husband, who was sober, _died_ because some drunk teenager decided to take his dad’s car for a joyride.” _ _ _

___“And I couldn’t even be mad at the kid,” she says, sounding almost defeated. “He was sixteen and crying his eyes out, yelling apologies to me and I couldn’t be mad at him. He was just a _kid_. But you? You’re a grown man and you did something so stupid and reckless because you were mad that you had to sit next to your ex-girlfriend. You will find no sympathy from me.” _ _ _

___He doesn’t want her sympathy. He doesn’t want _anyone’s_ sympathy. He doesn’t know what he wants anymore. And yet again, he wishes he would have never agreed to come here. He should have told Matt to shove that plane ticket up his ass. Everything was fine before he got here. His life was perfect and now he feels torn. He’s reminded of all his wrongdoings and no matter what he does, he can’t seem to do anything good. Veronica was right. He should have never come here. _ _ _

___Everything he touches, everything he loves, it crumbles down around him. He used to think that his friendships here in Riverdale were the one pure and everlasting thing he had in his life, but he managed to ruin that too. He doesn’t know what it’s like to have something precious and _not_ destroy it. _ _ _

___He wants to go home. To the home that doesn’t love him, because in a million different ways, it’s just _easier_._ _ _

___“I’m sorry,” he tells her again. His voice sounds so far away and even though he’s looking right at her, he can’t really see her. She looks a little blurry and distant. “I’m sorry.”_ _ _

___He turns around and walks off before she can say anything else to him. He doubts that she would even want to say anything to him after all of that. People like Betty, good and pure, didn’t talk with damaged goods like Jughead. She was sunshine on a cloudy day; trying her hardest to shine through even the darkest of hours. Jughead was the dark clouds that created a shadow over the world. There was no light in him. Not anymore._ _ _

___._ _ _

___._ _ _

___._ _ _

___He stands outside of Archie and Veronica’s house for nearly an hour. He doesn’t want to go inside, he’s terrified of what he’ll find inside. He doesn’t want to fight anymore, he’s so tired. He tries to walk away several times, but he keeps coming back. He doesn’t know where he’s supposed to go from here. He’ll have to call Matt and tell him he’s coming home early. He can’t stay in Riverdale knowing he’s fucked up this badly. He can’t stay in Riverdale knowing his best friends hate him._ _ _

___It’s not until his teeth start chattering from the cold that he finally makes his way to the front door. It’s never looked as intimidating as it does right now. He stares at it for a few seconds and tries to think of his next move. Does he knock? He never had before, not even when he first got here, but it doesn’t feel right to just walk inside right now. He brings his fist up and then drops it and just walks inside._ _ _

___The lights are all on and he can hear Veronica’s voice talking rapidly in the living room. There’s another voice too, Cheryl maybe, and he tenses up. Are they all going to yell at him? He doesn’t think he can handle that. Toni had seemed to be on his side at least, so hopefully he can depend on her. He doubts it though. He’s sure they all hate him and they have every single right._ _ _

___He takes a deep breath and forces himself to move his feet. As soon as he steps into the living room, all hell breaks loose._ _ _

___“Where the hell were you?” Veronica yells at him. She looks a complete mess. Her hair is everywhere and her eyes are crazed. She runs up to him and he’s expecting her to attack him, but instead she throws her arms around him and crushes him against her. His eyes widen in surprise. “You just left, Jughead! Why didn’t you say anything?”_ _ _

___He doesn’t move. He doesn’t say a word. He looks around the room. For the thousandth time that night, guilt racks his core and he tries to stifle a sob with a cough. In the span of less than two hours, he’s guilty and fucked up _again_. _ _ _

___Cheryl and Toni are standing next to the lit fireplace. They’re frowning, but when Jughead catches their eyes, they both give him a little smile. Cheryl turns around to face the fire. Reggie is sitting on the loveseat and he’s looking at Jughead in a way he never has before; like he’s sorry for him. Jughead doesn’t want to see that so he looks away._ _ _

___Archie is in the middle of the room. He looks relieved and broken all at the same time and Jughead doesn’t know how he’s supposed to live knowing that he did that. It’s all his fault; everything is his fault. He knows that now. He should have stayed in California._ _ _

___“You were right,” he whispers into Veronica’s hair before taking a step back from her. She looks at him in confusion and tries to reach for him again, but he doesn’t let her. “I should have never come here. But I’m leaving now, so it’s okay.”_ _ _

___“Hey, wait--.”_ _ _

___“Don’t,” he pleads. She drops her hand and lets Jughead walk away from her._ _ _

___The walk to the bedroom feels even longer than it had the first day he was here. He had Archie then, to walk with him, and he had sworn he felt alone but now he realizes just how wrong he was. Everything is so different now and he hates it, but he doesn’t know how to fix any of it._ _ _

___He grabs his duffel bag from where it lays next to the closet and wants to laugh at it. Fucking Louis Vuitton. Betty was right; he has everything and yet he can’t even be grateful for it. He’s hateful and angry. He’s not happy and he doesn’t remember the last time he actually was. Or maybe he does. But he doesn’t want to think about that right now._ _ _

___He’s getting his socks together when there’s a knock on the door. Veronica steps inside before he can even say anything. She looks hesitate and worried. That’s his fault too._ _ _

___“Jug,” she says as she steps towards him, “you don’t have to leave.”_ _ _

___“Yes, I do.”_ _ _

___“No, you really don’t. Look, I’m sorry about what I said--.”_ _ _

___“No,” he cuts her off, voice sharp. “Don’t you dare apologize, Veronica. You were right! Ever since I’ve got here all I’ve done is manage to upset both you and Archie. I never should have come back and we both know it.” His chest starts to hurt but he ignores that. “I’m not the person I used to be and you don’t deserve this new one in your life, none of you do.”_ _ _

___“Jughead, you’re still my friend.”_ _ _

___“No, I’m not! If I was your friend I would have been at your wedding! I would have…” he lowers his voice. “I would have been there for you when you needed me.” His voice breaks and he knows that she knows what he’s talking about. “I wasn’t there for you, I wasn’t there for Archie. Everyone here is just better off without me in the picture and I can see that now. So please, Veronica, I’m begging you to just let me go. Let me go!”_ _ _

___He doesn’t realize he’s crying until his knees hit the floor and Veronica’s arms are around him. He hasn’t cried in so long, but he remembers the last time he did. And that just makes him cry even more. All of it is too much. The DUI, the fact that he could lose the role of a lifetime, missing Archie’s wedding and finally feeling the repercussions, learning about Veronica’s miscarriage, having a random stranger rip into him and be 100% correct about it; all of it hits him at once and he doesn’t know how to handle any of it._ _ _

___In California, it’s easy to ignore all of the real stuff in his life. Hell, he’s become somewhat of a pro at it. But in Riverdale he can’t run from any of it. A part of him wonders if maybe this was Matt’s plan all along. He wouldn’t be surprised. He was sent here to reconnect with his old self and so here he was, sobbing into his friend’s arms like a pathetic child._ _ _

___“Listen to me, Jughead Jones,” Veronica’s voice is stern in his ear. “I don’t know how many times you have to hear this, but I’ll keep telling you until it settles: You are my best friend. You fucked up, yes. But guess what? Everyone does. We all do! It’s normal. Did you hurt me? Yes. Did I want you by my side? Yes. Desperately. And I won’t lie about that.” It hurts to hear and it doesn’t make the strain on his heart ease up. “But you are here now, so _be here_. Stop trying to leave us, stop trying to place yourself in California. You’re in Riverdale. You’re around your friends, like it or not, and we would never judge you. There’s nothing you could do that we wouldn’t forgive you for. So be open with us and talk to us. Just be _here_ with us.” _ _ _

___“I’m sorry,” he sobs._ _ _

___“I know,” Veronica whispers. “And we all forgive you. We will _always_ forgive you.” _ _ _

___He doesn’t know if he can believe that just yet, but right now it’s the only thing that’s keeping him from diving into that dark place he’s been to before._ _ _

___Archie had asked him when he would forgive himself and he thinks that he knows what that means now. He blames himself for a lot of things, most of them the very same things that had caused him to break down just now. Most of all though, he blames himself for letting himself become a stranger to his own friends. He pulled away from them and told himself over and over again that he was okay with it until finally he believed it. He was so enamored by life in the fast lane that maybe he _did_ think he was better than all of this; not Veronica and Archie, but of Riverdale in general, of the person he used to be. He thought he was so much better than him but being here right now, seeing how his friends are cautious around the “new” him, he sees that he had it backwards. He still doesn’t know how to let go of the resentment he has for his past self, he doesn’t know if he ever can, but he’s finally seeing that there’s no need for it. So it’s a start. _ _ _

___“I don’t know how to stop,” he admits. He doesn’t specify what he means, but he thinks Veronica gets it._ _ _

___“That’s why we’re here, Jughead. You’re not alone, you never were.”_ _ _

___It’s the first time he’s ever truly believed it._ _ _

___There’s a cough from the doorway and they both turn to see Archie standing there. He has the same look on his face from earlier and Jughead feels like a child yet again as he locks eyes with his best friend._ _ _

___“I’ll give you two a moment.” Veronica presses her lips to the top of Jughead’s head as she stands up and his heart cries out at the gentle motion. She would have been an amazing mother if life weren’t so cruel to her. He wishes she could have a second chance._ _ _

___She squeezes Archie’s hand on her way out of the room and Jughead wipes at his eyes, not wanting to cry in front of Archie. He isn’t embarrassed about it, but it feels like he doesn’t have a reason to be crying right now. Not anymore._ _ _

___“I’m sorry about what I said,” Archie says and Jughead opens his mouth to tell him that everyone needs to stop apologizing to him, but Archie cuts him off before he can. “No, man. Look, I was hurt. When you left all those years ago, I was so happy for you. I mean… California? That’s huge. I loved that you were finally getting a break from all of the bullshit over here. And then when you called and said you landed that audition? Jug, I was so fucking proud.” Archie smiles like he’s remembering that exact moment._ _ _

___“All I had ever wanted was for you to go out and realize your worth, Jug. I always just wanted for you to be happy and you finally were and everything was great. And then you stopped calling.” The smile slips from his face. “I never blamed you for it, but it still hurt. You were my best friend and then suddenly you weren’t. And when you called me to say that you were coming to stay in Riverdale, I was hoping that maybe everything could be the way that it used to.”_ _ _

___“I don’t know how to do that,” Jughead tells him. “I’m trying but everytime I think things are slowly getting better, I somehow manage to fuck things up.”_ _ _

___“Why do you believe that you’re such a bad person? Why are you so determined to make yourself the villain?”_ _ _

___“Because I am! Let’s face it, Archie, I’m not exactly a saint. I’ve been horrible these past few years.”_ _ _

___“But you can admit that. You can see that. You aren’t as horrible as you think you are, Jug. Not even close.”_ _ _

___Archie’s looking at him like he genuinely believes that with everything in him. He’s never had someone believe in him as much as Archie Andrews does and he realizes that he doesn’t want to lose this. He doesn’t want to lose any of this. He’s been forcing himself to say one thing, act one way. He lets go of that and he asks himself what he really wants right now in this moment. It’s easy._ _ _

___“I want to stay,” he blurts out before his mind can make him think differently._ _ _

___“In Riverdale?”_ _ _

___“Yes. There’s so much that I’ve missed and so much that I want to make up for.”_ _ _

___He can do it. He doesn’t actually have anything going on in California that requires him to be there, and he’s still sitting around and waiting to hear what Richard Ryans is going to do. He doesn’t need to be in California and he doesn’t _want_ to be either; at least not right now. There’s a lot here that he hadn’t realized he missed, a lot that he’d been too selfish to see was going on. But seeing Archie and Veronica, and even Cheryl, Toni, and Reggie, and having them chew his ass out has, for better or worse, given him perspective. _ _ _

___If he leaves now, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to make up for that. He’ll never be able to come back from that and he’s not sure his friendships would make it._ _ _

___He’s spent so much time hating Riverdale and everything about it. He’s spent so much time telling himself that he’s better than this place; that he’s better than the person he used to be. He’d been an idiot._ _ _

___“What do you mean when you say stay?” Archie asks like he’s hopeful yet wary and Jughead can’t blame him at all._ _ _

___“I don’t want to leave in two weeks. I don’t even have to; I’m not scheduled for anything for a while and there’s a lot I want to make up for.”_ _ _

___He smiles at Archie, a little unsure, but as soon as the redhead grins back at him he knows that he’s made the right decision here._ _ _

___There’s a lot they need to talk about still, all of them. Things aren’t suddenly okay between all of them, but that’s okay. He’s not going to run away from anything right now. Right now he’s going to stay with his friends and he’s going to work on balancing who he was with who he is now. He’s still not sure how to do it, but for the first time he feels like it’s possible._ _ _

___._ _ _

___._ _ _

___._ _ _

___Cheryl, Toni, and Reggie leave around midnight. Thankfully they hadn’t questioned the changed energy between the three friends; they were just happy no one was fighting anymore. It had been a little awkward but fun all at the same time. For a moment it felt like they were teenagers again, messing around at Veronica’s parents’ mansion while her parents were away for the weekend. It had been freeing in a way that he hadn’t felt in years._ _ _

___He should go to sleep, but he can’t. Despite the good note he and his friends ended off on tonight, he still feels restless. He doesn’t know why until he goes outside to take a walk and sees Betty Cooper standing by her flowerbed again._ _ _

___Just like the other night, she isn’t moving or talking. She’s just staring at the flowers silently. He considers just leaving her alone, it’s probably what she would prefer, but he’s on a roll tonight. He needs to say something before he loses his nerve._ _ _

___He walks up her sidewalk, sure to stay off the grass, and shoves his hands in his jean pockets. It’s cold as hell outside and he hadn’t brought a jacket with him. Betty is dressed in pink joggers and an oversized gray hoodie. Her hair is down and the wind makes it look wild and pretty. She looks comfortable and he would think she actually is, if it weren’t for the distant and sad look on her face. Her eyes are downcast at the flowers, but it’s like she’s staring right through them instead of at them. It’s almost haunting in a way._ _ _

___“Betty?” He greets gently. Her eyelids flutter and it looks like she’s breaking herself out of some kind of trance. When she finally looks up at him, her eyes widen momentarily as if she hadn’t even noticed he was here._ _ _

___“Can I help you?”_ _ _

___Well, might as well just come out with all of it._ _ _

___“I don’t deserve your sympathy,” he says, “and I don’t want it. I want you to know that I know what I did was stupid and I know I could have killed someone. Maybe I never really cared about that before, because I didn’t think that could ever actually happen to me, but then I saw you and I realized that even the most good people aren’t exempt from the horrors of the world, so neither am I. I didn’t hurt anyone that night, but I could have.” A knot builds in his throat and it’s getting hard to speak but he presses on. “And I know that you weren’t the person with me and you don’t even know me and I didn’t know you, but I am sorry. As someone who reminds you of what you went through, _I am sorry_.” _ _ _

___“I talked to Archie and Veronica and I’m going to be staying a little while longer and I don’t want you to feel like you can’t come over to see them just because I’m there. I know you’re close friends with them and I wouldn’t ever want to ruin that. So I needed to apologize to you and let you know that I know I’m an asshole and I know I fucked up, and you don’t need to feel bad for me. But I’m trying. I’m really trying here, Betty.”_ _ _

___He’s practically begging this complete stranger to forgive him for something he did when he didn’t even know her. It’s ridiculous, but he needs her to forgive him. He needs her to see something decent in him even if he doesn’t understand why he needs that so badly._ _ _

___Betty purses her lips and sighs loudly. Is she going to turn him away? He doesn’t know what he’ll do. He’d leave her alone for good, he knows that much, but a part of him would forever feel like a failure. He hates feelings like this, he never has before. He’s never wanted to please a complete stranger more than he does with Betty. His hands are shaking and he knows it’s not from the cold._ _ _

___He’s about to turn around and walk away and accept that a friendship between them is impossible, whenever she glances down at the flower bed, closes her eyes, opens them and looks back at him._ _ _

___“Okay,” she says softly as she walks towards him. “Would you like to come in for some tea? I’m told I make the worst tea in America.” She’s a whole foot shorter than him, so he has to look down to really see her face, but when he does, she’s smiling up at him. It’s real, he can tell that much. He’s used to seeing fake smiles, he can spot them right away, but this is not one. It’s the first time he’s actually seen her smile and once again, he wonders how the world could be so cruel to her._ _ _

___Jughead returns her smile. The world might be cruel to her, but if he’s lucky enough to somehow be able to befriend her, he already knows he’d never do anything to hurt her._ _ _

___“I’d love to.”_ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) 
> 
> 30k in and we're FINALLY getting some Bughead friendship. Does this count as a slow burn? I don't know, probably not.  
> Anyway, from here on out, Jughead's really going to lose that whole 'asshole' thing about him. And Betty becomes a bigger focus in the story now. 
> 
> Let me know if you liked it and as always, find me on Tumblr @ lana-luthor <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was HELL TO EDIT, so if there are any mistakes I'm so sorry. 
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy though. :')) Betty is officially in this story and here to stay!

The inside of Betty’s house isn’t what he had been expecting. For someone who's lived here for a year, it’s almost completely barren. There’s a couch in the living room and a TV on a stand with two DVD’s on it. Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones plays on an old fashioned record player that sits on a small table in the hall. The song is too upbeat for the otherwise somber feeling that goes through him as he follows Betty around. In the kitchen she has a round tall table with two chairs. There’s a candle on the kitchen counter and that’s it. There are no pictures on her fridge or on her walls. There aren’t any little plants or knick-knacks anywhere. It’s empty and void of any and all emotion. The only feeling in here is Mick Jagger’s voice belting throughout the house about the world closing in on everyone; he wonders if that’s how Betty often feels. 

“You like the Rolling Stones?” He asks, trying to fill the silence with an obvious question that has an obvious answer. Most people would probably roll their eyes and say ‘obviously’. After all, she’s playing their record, but Betty just smiles gently, the way she always seems to. 

“Yeah. I grew up listening to a lot of older stuff because of my parents. Guess it just kind of stuck. I can change it if you want.” She moves like she’s going to do just that and Jughead shakes his head. 

“No, no. I love them. I actually saw them in concert a few years back.” 

“Really?” She sounds genuinely intrigued by this. “That must have been something.” 

“It was.” He can still remember the concert perfectly. Listening to their songs right now makes him feel like he’s back there again. He wishes he actually was. For a second, he wishes he could have taken Betty with him. He wonders if that would make a real smile, the kind that takes up your whole face and makes your cheeks hurt, grace her face. 

“Tea?” Betty asks once they’re in the kitchen. He nods and watches her start to boil some water in an actual tea kettle. He doesn’t think he’s ever known someone who actually had one of those. “Sorry,” Betty says as she catches him looking around the room, “I haven’t really had a chance to clean, so it may be a little messy.” He wants to tell her that he’s not sure what exactly she wants to clean considering there’s nearly nothing in here, but instead he just nods. He doesn’t think that would be the most polite thing in the world to speak on. 

“Oh, no. You’re fine. You should see my place. It looks horrible before someone comes to clean it.” She raises an eyebrow at him as she leaves the water to boil and he has to refrain from hitting himself. He probably sounds like such a pretentious dick right now. “Sorry, I forgot that’s kind of a douchebag thing to say.”

“No, not really. We just live two very different lifestyles. I don’t think you’re a douchebag because you’re rich and famous. You don’t need to apologize.” 

“Right.” He feels like he could apologize everyday for the rest of his life and it wouldn’t make a single difference. He has so much to apologize for, so many people to apologize to, and he doesn’t even know where to start. 

“So you said you were staying here longer? How did that come about?” Betty sits down at the tall table and motions for Jughead to join her. “How long were you supposed to stay here originally?” 

“Just four weeks, but after my fight with Archie and Veronica earlier, I realized that there’s a lot I need to work through with them. Despite everything, despite how horrible I’ve been, they’re still my best friends.” It’s the first time he’s actually said those words aloud and it feels good. They’ve always been his friends, he’d just been a little lost in his own head to see that. “I don’t just want to be here; I want to actually _be_ here, you know what I mean?” He thinks about his words and shakes his head. “Sorry, that probably doesn’t make any sense.” 

“No,” Betty says as she looks down at her hands. “It makes perfect sense. It’s easy to be present in one place but to be somewhere else all at the same time.” He thinks back to how she’d looked completely out of it when she was staring at the flowers. He wants to ask her about it, but he won’t overstep. It’s not his place. 

The kettle starts to let out a whistle, informing them that it’s time to turn it off, so Betty gets up and walks over to the stove to do just that. He feels a little useless just sitting at her table and not really contributing to anything, but then again, what could he do? 

“Not a coffee person?” He asks and winces to himself. What kind of a stupid ass question was that? He should have just stayed quiet. Betty doesn’t seem too bothered by the question, though. In fact, if she finds it stupid at all, she doesn’t say. 

“I like sweet things and coffee is too bitter, no matter how much cream I put in it. Tea’s better because the honey always makes it sweet enough.” She walks over to one of the cabinets and pulls out an honest-to-God honey pot. He can’t stop the laugh that graces his lips at the sight. She turns to look at him in question before she sees where his gaze is. She smiles too. “Yeah, yeah. I know it’s a little ridiculous, but it’s cute. It makes me happy.” 

It’s a little weird to say, but he finds himself _happy_ that something so small can make her happy. It must have been hard to find things that brought her happiness after what she went through and if something as small and simple as owning a honey pot made her happy, well who is he to say anything about it? 

“It’s cute,” he agrees. “I have bee salt and pepper shakers at home.” 

Betty’s smile grows and her eyes shine. “Do you really?” 

He nods. “Mhm. I purchased them at a charity event to save the bees, but if I’m being honest, they were just really cute.” He loves using those little things, but it’s not information he’s ever shared with another person. It feels a little weird to say to someone else and for a moment he wonders if maybe Betty’s thinking the same thing, but she’s still smiling at him in glee. 

“That’s really nice. I guess it’s good to know you aren’t always an asshole.” Jughead frowns and she catches it. “I do want to address that, you know. I’m willing to admit that we got off on the worst foot possible, but I don’t admit I was wrong.” 

“You weren’t,” he says in agreement. “I… It was stupid and reckless. I know that I had no right to be upset over something so stupid and even if I did, I never should have gotten behind the wheel that night.” Betty walks over to him and hands him his tea. It’s in a Mickey Mouse cup and he wants to comment on it, but figures this might not be the best time. Betty hands him the honey pot as well and he takes a little bit of it out to pour into his tea. 

“Be honest, is it something you do often?” 

“No.” Because that’s the truth. 

“Wasn’t it your third DUI though?” 

He winces. She’s right. It was his third, but the thing was, he hadn’t done something so stupid and reckless in years. Contrary to the popular belief, he wasn’t trying to make himself out to be some bad guy. He just made stupid decisions and got caught more often than not. He just hadn’t realized how terrible he was actually being until he left California. Being in Riverdale had really helped him to see how out of touch he’s gotten. It’s the reason he’s sitting here right now with Betty and allowing her to talk to him like he’s a student in trouble. 

“Look, I can’t take back the dumb shit I did in the past, but I _know_ it was dumb and I’m trying to be better; I _want_ to be better. It’s… it’s hard and I know that probably makes me sound weak or dumb, but I’m still trying. I just want you to know that. I want you to be able to be in the same room as me and not feel uncomfortable. I would never want you to feel that way.” 

“You don’t make me uncomfortable,” she says as she runs her finger along the base of her teacup, a yellow honey pot with bees on the handle bar. “I just couldn’t understand why someone would be so stupid, especially someone who has it all.” She looks back up at him and she looks tired. “You have a good life, Jughead Jones. Even if it may seem like you don’t, even if you feel like you don’t, you do. You shouldn’t waste it.” 

“I don’t want to waste it,” he admits. “You know, I was so pissed off when my manager told me he wanted me to come back here. I really thought this was the worst place I could ever end up.” Betty smiles sadly. “I was pissed off and I wanted to yell at him, well, actually I did yell at him. I wanted to hurt him though and I think it was because I felt like he was trying to hurt me. Riverdale isn’t exactly a place with good memories.” 

Sure, he had his great times with his friends and he had always loved spending time with them. Those were the good times. His biggest secret though, the one that had taken him years to admit to Archie and Veronica, the one that no one else but them knows, is that he didn’t have a good home life. At all. 

He taps his fingers against the top of the table. If he thinks about it long enough, he can remember the nights where his dad would get so drunk that he would yell at him until the neighbors called the cops. Jughead would always have to lie to Sheriff Keller and tell him that his dad was just really into his show. He knew that the Sheriff didn’t believe him, but what could he do? Jughead would never turn his own dad in and he didn’t have any kind of evidence; not like he’d find any anyway. FP Jones never laid a hand on Jughead, at least not bad enough to leave any kind of bruises. He just liked to yell and push him around sometimes, no biggie. Or at least that’s what Jughead forced himself to say for years. 

His dad loved him, he’d repeat to himself after a night of shouting. He’d lock himself in the restroom and cry. He’d cry because his dad _didn’t_ love him. He’d cry because he hated his mom for leaving him alone with him. He’d cry because he missed his sister and he didn’t understand why she got to leave and he didn’t. He’d cry because his father would laugh at him and call him weak. He’d cry because he _was_ weak, because he _was_ crying. 

It didn’t matter that he and his sister were reunited; didn’t matter that his father stopped yelling long ago; didn’t matter that he doesn’t cry about that stuff anymore, or about anything at all. It doesn't matter because he can still remember everything. He can still remember how he felt. He remembers and so none of it matters; nothing except his hatred for this town. 

He shakes his head and tries to get out of that dark place. He always tries to get out of it, but he never can. It’s too dark and he’s not sure if the light is even an option anymore; he doesn’t know how to find it, doesn’t know if it even exists for him. 

“So I came here angry and I was angry when I saw Archie and angry when I saw Veronica, even though I had no right to be. I was angry because they were so happy, because they always had it so easy. I was angry that I was back here after years of being away, because I never wanted to step foot into this town again. I took it out on all the wrong people and I took it out on myself.” 

Betty’s quiet for a while and he thinks that maybe he’s somehow messed everything up. He wouldn’t be surprised if he did; he’s good at that. 

“I’m sorry,” she finally says, surprising him. He looks at her in confusion, but he’s never seen someone looks so sure of themselves and everything else. “I’m sorry that you felt like you were forced to come here, especially if you don’t have fond memories. I can’t imagine that would be very nice.” She clears her throat. “When… when Daniel died, I wanted to leave Charleston so badly.”

Daniel. That must have been her husband’s name. It feels weird to finally put a name to him and Jughead can’t help the coldness that washes over him as he repeats the name in his head. Betty doesn’t look upset as she talks about him, but she doesn’t look present either. She looks like she’s somewhere else, somewhere far away. Jughead doesn’t try to pull her out of that place. 

“Coming to Riverdale was the best thing for me. I could never go back to South Carolina. Never.” She says the words with such finality that Jughead believes her completely. “So I understand.” 

“I was stupid,” he says more to himself than to her, but she hears anyway. 

“You were, but you know that. You can be better, Jughead. You can make up for it.” 

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a heart of gold?” He asks with a smile. Betty laughs. 

“Yeah, a few people. I guess I kind of have to. I don’t think I’d last if I held on to all the anger and sadness.” As she says the words though, there’s a sadness in her eyes that always seems to be there. Jughead wonders if it ever truly leaves. He wonders if she’s even aware of it. “It’s part of life.” 

It’s the shittiest part of life; the darkest part. It’s the part that shouldn’t exist, but does because well “it’s life”. And that’s what everyone will tell you as soon as you start to complain. 

“I’m sorry,” Jughead tells her. “I know it doesn’t really mean anything, but I’m sorry about what happened to you.” He says it with complete sincerity. He can’t imagine losing someone like that; especially not someone you were in love with. Betty’s incredibly strong; he hopes she realizes that. 

“Thank you,” she says softly. He notices that she doesn’t say ‘it’s okay’ like some people would, because it’s not okay. It’ll never be okay. “It doesn’t… sometimes it doesn’t hurt as much as it once did. My therapist says that’s good, that I’m moving on, but it doesn’t feel good. It feels like I’m forgetting about him. She says ‘moving on’ like it’s a good thing, like I should be proud of myself, but all it feels like is like I'm betraying him.” She looks at Jughead sadly. “Is that pathetic?” 

“No. No, it’s not. You lost someone you loved when you shouldn’t have. It wasn’t his time to go, you didn’t have time to prepare. It came out of nowhere because some kid decided to drive drunk in his dad’s car. You never saw it coming. I imagine that makes all the difference when it comes to the pain you feel.” 

Betty’s eyes are watery, but the tears don’t fall over, and her mouth is slightly open as if she’s in some kind of shock. He’s almost scared she’s going to have a complete breakdown in the middle of the kitchen and he’s not prepared at all to deal with that at all, but then she sniffles and smiles the saddest smile he’s ever seen. He didn’t know it was possible to hate a smile, but he hates _that_ smile more than anything he’s ever seen before.

“I’m surprised you aren’t telling me to get over it. Most people do.” 

He looks at her in horror. Who the fuck would ever say such a cruel thing to someone who is obviously _still_ grieving? He’s sad for a total of three seconds before a rage hits him so intensely that he can practically feel it coursing through his veins. He wants to find everyone who has ever told her that; who has ever made her feel like a problem for being sad. 

“I would never tell you that,” he says fiercely so that she knows he isn’t lying. “I know we aren’t exactly friends, Betty, but if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to or cry to, you can always come to me. I might not know much about loss, but I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener.” 

“Sometimes that’s all you need.” Betty clears her throat. “How’s your tea? Is it okay?” 

“Yes, thank you. Why did you say you make the worst tea in America? It’s not bad at all.” 

Betty lets out a puff of laughter. “That’s because I made you simple green tea. I figured I shouldn’t scare you away so soon. There’s this chocolate peppermint tea that I have and I add _a lot_ of honey to it. I’ve been told it’s disgusting, but I think it tastes nice.” 

Jughead’s face wrinkles up in disgust. “That sounds… horrible.” 

“It’s not! I’ll make it for you someday.” 

“You really don’t need to do that,” he says, face still pinched up and Betty laughs. 

“One day,” she promises. The smile on her face isn’t so sad anymore and he wishes that she could always look like this. It makes her look a thousand times lighter and even though he can still see the dark bags under her eyes and the redness that never seems to go away, she looks heavenly. 

“So, Arch and Veronica told me you’re a teacher. Do you like it?” 

The smile she gives him is blinding. “Oh, I love it. It’s never boring, I can tell you that much. The other day one of my students stuck a rock up his nose because he wanted to know what it felt like and then it got stuck. You don’t really see things like that at other jobs.” 

Jughead snorts. “Definitely not. Was he okay?” 

“Yeah, he couldn’t stop laughing. He proceeded to stick one in his ear once we got it out of his nose.” Jughead laughs loudly at that and Betty smiles into her tea. He’s never wanted kids, that’s never been him, but he can admit that they’re funny as all hell. “He’s the smartest one in my class, if you can believe that.” 

“How long have you been teaching?” 

“Ever since I graduated college, so about five years.” 

“Wow,” he says, impressed. “So you just went straight for it? Didn’t take some time to yourself or anything?” 

She shakes her head. “No, I don’t really like to just sit around, you know? I get bored easily and if I’m not doing something, it actually makes me anxious and I just don’t like it. What about you? Did you just go straight into acting or…?” 

“Not exactly. I got into UCLA on a full ride and I actually did go there for a semester and a half, but my old roommate talked me into going to some audition for this indie film and the next thing I know, I’m out of college and filming for four months.” 

“Did you ever go back? Or want to go back?”

“No,” he answers honestly. “Once everything picked up, I never even thought about college again. I was always good at school, sure, and I never hated it like most people do, but what was the point? I already had a career doing something I love and I knew nothing would ever make me feel the way that acting does.” 

Betty purses her lips like she’s a little disappointed at the answer. At first he can’t figure why she would be, but then he remembers that she’s a school teacher so of course she’s probably a little biased when it comes to higher education. To each their own though. He wasn’t going to lie to her. He just hopes she doesn’t push. 

“So you want to act for the rest of your life?” She asks it genuinely and he knows that she doesn’t mean it to be rude, but all he can think of is his father asking him the same exact question, but with a different tone. He can’t focus on that right now, though. 

“Yeah. I love it. It’s the first thing that I felt like I was really good at , you know?” 

Betty nods. “Sure. Well, that’s good. As long as you’re happy doing it then you should. You are, aren’t you?”

“What?” 

“Happy. You’re happy, right?” 

He pauses. It’s a question he gets asked often enough and he usually always has a ‘yes, of course’ ready on his lips, but for some reason he can’t say anything right now. He’s looking at Betty who’s looking at him with that damn sadness in her eyes, but this time he doesn’t think it’s for herself, and he doesn’t know what to say. 

“Sure,” is what ends up coming out of his mouth. “Like you said, I have a good life. I can’t really complain about much.” 

Betty winces. “I didn’t mean it that way, I’m sorry. Of course you can still be upset over things, Jughead. I shouldn’t have tried to invalidate your feelings like that.” 

“It’s okay, really. You have a point.” 

“No.” Her voice sounds as fierce as his had when he told her that he would never tell her to ‘move on’ and let things go. “Just because you may have it all to an outsider, doesn’t exactly mean that’s the truth. I want you to know that I’m sorry for being so harsh with you when we first met, even if I did have a good enough reason. I can see now that you aren’t exactly the person I thought you were and I don’t want you to ever feel uncomfortable around me.” She’s telling him the exact same thing he told her earlier and he realizes that this is the most genuine anyone has _ever_ been with him about stuff like this aside from Archie and Veronica. “If you ever want to talk about something, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listener. I guess you have to be when you’re a teacher.” 

Jughead laughs softly. “Yeah, I bet you break up a lot of fights, don’t you?” 

“Don’t even get me started.” She laughs along with him and when Jughead looks down to his tea, he’s surprised to find that it’s all gone. Betty follows his gaze. “Would you like some more?” She gets up as if she’s about to make him another cup, but he shakes his head. 

“No, no, that’s okay. I should probably get going. It’s pretty late.” 

The clock on her microwave lets Jughead know that it’s a little past one in the morning, but for some reason he doesn’t feel tired at all. He refuses to stick around here though. Betty looks exhausted and even if she doesn’t feel tired, she should really try to get some rest. The bags under her eyes are looking worse and worse every time he sees her. 

“Oh, are you sure?” She looks a little upset at his words. “You don’t have to leave.” 

Jughead bites at his lip. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Betty, but you look tired. _You_ should really try to sleep.” 

Her eyes widen in shock and for a moment he’s scared she’s going to throw her tea in his face, but then she smiles at him. 

“I suppose you’re right. I don’t have very many people who would actually tell me that to my face.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I think we could both use some sleep. Can I walk you out?” Jughead nods and the two of them make their way back to the front door. The record player has long since stopped playing, but Jughead hadn’t even realized it until just now. Betty walks over to it real quick to turn it off completely. 

“Thank you for tonight,” he tells her once they reach the door. “Thank you for giving me a chance.” 

“Thank you for coming to me. It really does mean a lot.” 

Jughead nods. “I’ll see you soon?” 

“Yes, of course.” Jughead nods and opens her door to leave, when she stops him. “Jughead?” He turns to her. “I really am glad that we got to talk tonight.”

Jughead smiles. “Me too, Betty. Have a good night. Get some rest, okay?” 

“Okay.” She waves slowly and he nods before finally leaving. 

For some reason, he feels both light and happy at their talk and yet a little sad and empty to be leaving. Talking to Betty had been a little strange at first, but it had never felt awkward. Being in her presence was like something he’d never experienced before. She had this calming aura to her despite everything and as soon as he leaves her house, he feels that comfort start to fade away. 

Archie’s house is dark when he gets back to it and he makes sure to tiptoe up the stairs. He’s suddenly exhausted and the idea of sleep has never seemed so appealing to him. 

When he gets to his room, he looks out of his window. There’s a light on in Betty’s house still, but it’s not coming from the living room or kitchen so he assumes it’s her bedroom maybe. He can’t actually see anything except the bright light and he sighs a little, wishing she would sleep. He hadn’t been lying when he said that she looked tired. 

And then suddenly, the light turns off. It doesn’t come back on and he smiles to himself at the thought of her getting a good night’s rest. 

When he finally lets himself fall into his bed, sleep comes almost immediately. 

.

.

.

“What do you think about these?” Veronica holds up a pair of red high heels. “Are they too Mean Girl Cheryl?” 

Jughead laughs loudly from where he’s leaning against the wall. She had made him come to the city with her to find a new outfit for some fancy casino night that she’s having at her speakeasy and he’s having the time of his life offering up pretty decent fashion advice. 

“I’m pretty sure she probably has those in her own closet.” 

Veronica sighs and nods in defeat as she tosses the Prada pumps back onto the display carelessly. A sales person looks at her in disgust and Jughead smiles sheepishly, which earns him a jaw drop so he decides to look away and put his sunglasses back on. 

“Would you take those off?” Veronica whines. “You look like a douchebag.” 

“Some would say I _am_ a douchebag.” 

“Only those who don’t know you.” 

Things have been good ever since the night he had a goddamn breakdown in front of everyone, like _really good_. He’s been spending a lot more time with Archie and Veronica instead of trying to actively ignore them and he’s even gone out to lunch with Cheryl and Toni. Reggie tagged him in a post on Facebook about some stupid meme so honestly? He’s decided that deciding to stay in Riverdale for an extended amount of time was probably the best thing for him. 

Matt had been a little perplexed by the entire thing, but hadn’t protested at all. Jughead’s sure that he was probably patting himself on the back for being right. Dick. 

So yeah, things are great, but to hear Veronica actually say that she doesn’t believe him a douchebag at all, well that hits a little differently. 

“These are custom Gucci shades,” he says with a conceited smirk that he only ever uses around Veronica.

“That makes sense. They look a little girly to me.” 

“It’s called unisex, babe. Please get with the times.” 

Veronica laughs loudly and obnoxiously which earns them another glare. Neither of them pay attention this time. 

“Shut up, asshole. You don’t deserve custom _anything_.”

“And yet here I am, custom Gucci while you wear… is that shirt from Ross?” He gasps in faux disgust and Veronica laughs even harder at that, which causes him to drop the act and laugh along with her. Veronica comes from money, she’s one of the few people he can joke like this with here and it’s nice. God knows Arch would probably cry if Jughead tried to make fun of his clothing. 

“Hell yeah it is! Now, enough about my outfit. Do you know what you’re going to wear?” He rolls his eyes underneath his glasses. “I saw that.” 

He snorts. “I can just wear something that I brought.” Granted he didn’t exactly bring his nicest clothes with him. Riverdale wasn’t some place where you had to dress up. Hell, he felt overdressed in black jeans and a button up here. Today he’s wearing _blue_ jeans with a rip in the knee and a Rolling Stones tee. He still somehow feels overdressed. 

“Absolutely not! Isn’t there some stigma that says you can never wear the same outfit twice?”

“I’m not _that_ much of a dick.” 

Veronica raises an eyebrow in mock judgement, but before she can say anything, a girl comes up to them. 

She has to be their age and if he’s being honest, she’s fucking hot. Straight blonde hair falls to her waist and big brown, lust filled eyes are looking at him. She’s the exact type of girl he’d been into back in California, and he looks at her in interest. 

“Jughead Jones,” she says as if they’re friends. “What brings you out to the East Coast?” 

“Just taking some time off.” 

Veronica lets out a quiet sigh from the right of him and he wonders what _that’s_ about. 

“Oh, well that’s nice. I’m Rachel.” She holds out a hand for him and he takes it, shakes it once and then lets it drop slowly. She’s looking at him like she’s starving and he’s a five course meal and it’s making him a little uncomfortable if he’s being honest. No one’s really looked at him like that here, at least not to his face. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Rachel.” 

“Are you having an event here?” She asks as she glances down at a pair of Louboutin’s that Veronica’s holding now. 

“My best friend is having a thing at her restaurant.” He really doesn’t want to give up too much information on the whole thing, but he can tell from the way this girl’s eyes light up that it doesn’t really matter what he wants. 

“Is it invite only?” Her eyes are gleaming as she smiles at them. 

Jughead glances down at Veronica who looks annoyed as all hell. He can tell that she wants to say yes, but she also knows that this is business. She wants more people to come and so that means smiling at Rachel like she’d be honored to have her there. 

“No! Come and bring some friends.” Veronica hands her a little card with all the info on it and Rachel takes it like it’s the fucking Holy Grail. 

“Great, thank you. I’ll see you there.” 

And then she’s gone. 

Veronica whirls around with a look of shock on her face. “Okay, what the hell was that?” 

“I think she wants to sleep with me.” 

“No shit, beanie boy! Everyone wants to sleep with you, but what the hell was _that_?” Jughead shrugs. The whole thing was weird, that’s for sure, but honestly it’s not the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to him. It’s not even in the top fifty. “I miss the days when I was the one getting recognized out in public.” 

“That’s what settling down does to you,” he jokes as Veronica hits him with one of the heels. 

“Ma’am,” the sales lady whose been eyeing them finally says, “please do not throw around our shoes. I _will_ throw you out.” 

Veronica’s mouth drops open before she lets out an ugly snort of laughter. The sales lady looks at her in horror and Jughead has to cover his mouth so she doesn’t see the smile on his face. 

“Do you know who I am?” Veronica asks and oh God, they haven’t had one of these moments since high school. “I assume the names Hiram and Hermione Lodge still mean something around here.” Immediately the woman’s eyes widen and she stands up a little straighter. “I’m Veronica Lodge; their daughter.” 

“Oh! Miss Lodge, I-.”

“You, nothing. I _will_ be leaving though. These shoes are from last season, I don’t need them.” She hands them over to the sale’s lady who looks at her like she’s seeing a damn ghost or something. Dramatic. “Come on, _Jughead_ , we’re leaving.” She links her arm through his and Jughead gives the lady an apologetic smile. 

Once they’re out of the store, he turns to Veronica with a raised eyebrow. 

“You’re so mean.” 

“Ugh, no! I haven’t had a good mean girl moment in months, okay? I was totally overdue.” 

“Some things never change.” 

“Thank God for that.” 

.

.

.

**@PopTalk: Jughead Jones Steps Out With Lodge Industries Princess. Friends or More? We have the juicy story here!**

**@JugsJones: @PopTalk First of all, put some RESPECT ON VERONICA LODGE’S NAME. Second of all, she’s literally married to her high school sweetheart and Jughead’s best friend. Get a life, weirdos.**

**@AnnieIsntOkay: @PopTalk Isn’t that his high school best friend????? Wtf I’m pretty sure she’s married**

**@VeronicasJug: @PopTalk FUCK YES, I KNEW THEY WERE ALWAYS IN LOVE OMFG**

**@BaconAndMeg: @VeronicasJug dude, that’s so disrespectful to her husband are you fucking serious right now??**

**@TheVeronicaLodge: Having your best friend back in town is great until him and your husband decide to get into a heated fight over Mario Kart. #TheyBothSuck #ImTheRealWinner**

 

 

In the end he does get a new suit. It’s from Armani and the man helping him nearly had a stroke when he realized just who he was dressing. He felt good in it, it almost made him feel like he was getting ready for the red carpet which was something he _was_ missing about Cali. There had been a movie premiere the other day that he was invited to, but he decided to stay in Riverdale. Tonight kind of feels like it’s making up for that despite the fact that he will not be seeing any great movies. 

People are slowly starting to gather at La Bonne Nuit and Jughead almost feels like he _is_ at the premiere of something. Everyone is dressed to the ten’s and he’s marvelling at the different fashion choices.

“My, my, my, Jones.” Cheryl comes up from behind him and he whirls around to look at her. She’s in a beautiful blue silk dress and Toni’s by her side in a red sequined one. “You’re looking very dashing tonight.” 

“Thank you. You’re looking very patriotic.” He glances down at their outfits with a smile. 

“Ha ha, Jones,” Toni says with a straight face. “There’s a reason you aren’t in comedies.” 

“Hey,” he whines, a little offended because well, it’s _true_. “You guys do look great though.” 

“Well, of course,” Cheryl says with a smirk. “I wasn’t voted best dressed in high school for nothing.” 

They engage in some smalltalk for a while. Toni tells him about the gym she works at and Cheryl tries to get him to sign up right there and then. He does agree to check it out though, so it’s a nice compromise. He really doesn’t want to lose his shape while he’s here. 

He’s both surprised and yet not at all to see that this place is packed. People are gathered around the many casino tables and they’re loud and cheering and honestly it’s kind of incredible to witness. Veronica is floating around the room, greeting guests and chatting up with friends. She’s the perfect host. 

“You know what that dress reminds me of?” 

Jughead doesn’t startle at Archie’s sudden presence. Instead he turns to the redhead and raises an eyebrow.

“I swear to God, Arch, if you’re about to tell me some kind of sick story between you two, I’d rather not hear it.”

“No! What? No, you weirdo. Remember when we accidentally dyed her Confirmation dress purple?” 

Jughead cackles loudly and Archie snorts into his drink. 

God, does he remember that. They’d been such assholes, always trying to play pranks on Veronica, but the whole dress incident _was_ an actual accident; although she’d never believed that. 

“Dude! She uninvited us!” 

“She didn’t talk to us for two fucking weeks,” Archie says in glee, like it’s the best thing. “She tried to burn your beanie!” 

“Dude, I was so pissed.” He’s grinning now too. He can vividly remember Veronica standing in front of her fireplace with Jughead’s beanie in her hand as she dangled it over the flames. At the time he’d been furious, but now he can appreciate how funny it all was. He wonders if Veronica thinks it was funny now too. Probably not. “Think she’s still pissed about it?” 

“Definitely,” Archie nods and the both of them laugh. 

It isn’t hard to be around Archie anymore. There are times when he feels like he’s treading on water when he talks to him, but then Archie is saying something that’s just _so Archie_ and Jughead remembers that he doesn’t need to feel like that. Despite everything, despite all the ways he’s fucked up, Archie is still his oldest friend and he’s doing everything he can to fix their relationship. It helps that Arch is eager to mend all their broken walls. 

“You gonna take a chance?” Jughead asks as he nods over to one of the tables. If he’s being a hundred percent serious, he doesn’t know jack shit about gambling. It seemed like everyone loved to gamble in Hollywood, but he never saw the appeal. It just doesn’t make sense to him. These people are obviously loving it though. 

“Nah,” Archie says with a shrug. “That’s always been Veronica’s thing. I played once and lost us three grand so she doesn’t really let me anymore.” 

Jughead snorts. That sounds just like him. He’d probably do the same thing though so he can’t really say anything about it. 

He’s so busy watching a couple play on one of the tables that he doesn’t even realize what’s happening on stage until there’s mic feedback. He winces, as do a few other people, and turns to see what’s going on. 

Veronica is standing up there, tall and proud, and right next to her is Betty Cooper. Jughead hadn’t even seen her come into the room and he’s really not understanding how that was possible. 

She’s in a floor-length green silk dress that shows off all these curves that he hadn’t even known she had. Her hair is styled in some kind of bun thing with a few strands falling out of place to frame her face. The way she’s standing shows off her leg through a long slit on the side. Jughead can’t look away. He doesn’t _want_ to look away.

“Sorry about that,” Veronica laughs. “I just wanted to thank everyone for coming out tonight. It really does mean the world to me.” She pauses as the room erupts into applause. “So, you know I’m a huge fan of live music, so tonight my best friend, Betty Cooper, is going to help us get this party going!” 

Everyone claps as Betty smiles and takes the mic from Veronica. 

Jughead’s a little shocked. She can sing? He hadn’t known that, but then again why would he? 

He waits to see if maybe she’s going to talk and make some kind of speech, but she doesn’t. Instead a backdrop starts playing. It’s a little slow, kind of sultry, and Jughead feels like he’s in some kind of trance as he watches her. 

She’s looking down and swaying just the tiniest bit. He’s not even aware of the fact that _he’s_ swaying along with her. 

She looks up as she sings the first lyric and Jughead takes a step closer to the stage. 

_“Plug me in, I’m alive tonight”_

Holy fuck. Mötley Crüe? It’s Live Wire, but _not_ Live Wire. It’s a slower and sexier, almost dangerous sounding version of it and Jughead’s in awe. How does someone take a song like that and make it sound like _this_? It’s incredible. She’s incredible. 

He’s not the only one looking at her now. More than half of the eyes in this place are focused on her. He wonders if she can tell; if she even cares. If she does, it’s not showing at all. She sounds confident and beautiful as she sings and sways to the song. 

“She’s good, right?” Archie whispers next to him. 

Jughead nods. “She can sing.” It’s not a question but Archie hums in acknowledgement either way. 

“Yeah, it was a pretty big surprise when she got up on the stage for karaoke for the first time. I’m pretty sure that’s when Reggie’s crush on her started.” Jughead finally pulls his attention away from Betty to look at Archie in confusion. His friend just smiles. “Dude, yeah. Reggie has like, the biggest crush on her. It’s hilarious.” 

Huh. He tries to picture that ever being a thing, but he can’t. Reggie’s too much of a wild card and loud and childish sometimes. Jughead can’t see Betty with someone like him. He rolls his eyes to himself. What does he know about what Betty likes? He’s had one conversation with her where she wasn’t telling him how much she disliked him and now he thinks he knows everything about her? Even he can see how ridiculous that is. Still, though. Reggie and Betty? 

“I don’t think she likes him, though,” Archie says as if he can read Jughead’s mind. “I don’t think she’s really looking for anything at all.” 

“Oh.” That makes sense. It makes a lot of sense actually. Time doesn’t really matter when it comes to heartache. He imagines that two years must feel like nothing at all. 

“She’s really amazing. She deserves to have that kind of happiness, you know?”

Jughead nods. Betty _does_ deserve that kind of happiness, he knows at least that much, but he also doesn’t think that love is the cure for everything. Happiness is not synonymous with romantic love. Happiness can be found in other things and maybe that’s what she’s trying to focus on. Either way, happiness is what she deserves. 

He’s halfway through listening to the third song she’s singing, one that he doesn’t know, when he spots a mane of blonde hair in the room. Rachel. 

Truth be told, he had kind of forgotten about the random woman from the department store, but now he’s reminded of her as she scans the room, obviously looking for him. He groans to himself. He wishes that Veronica would have said it was invite only, because he knows girls like Rachel and he knows what they want. They don’t want to have a conversation with him. They want him to fuck them, which usually he would be all for, but the idea of doing that right now just doesn’t seem right and he doesn’t know why.

Archie has long since left him to go and hang off Veronica’s arm and he has no idea where any of his friends are so he’s kind of fucked. He watches as Rachel turns her attention to his general area and he does the only thing he can think of and runs off to the back of the building. 

He doesn’t know where the hell he’s going, he doesn’t know this place well, but he throws open the first door he sees and hopes for the best, like a kitchen or something. 

The best turns out to be the freezer. 

“Well, fuck,” he grumbles to himself as a chill runs through his body. He could walk out of here, sure, but he really does not want to chance it. So he tugs his jacket around himself tighter and sits down on a crate near the wall. He just needs to stay in here for a little while until he figures out a plan. He could always just tell her he’s seeing someone, but then again that might not mean anything to her, at least not without proof. He’s sure he has pictures of him and Jade on his phone still. Maybe. Possibly. Probably not. 

He’s breathing and watching the little puffs of air fly out of his mouth, when the door opens up and someone walks in. He looks up, fully ready to see Rachel or someone else he doesn’t want to, and comes face-to-face with Betty. 

She’s holding the door open and looking at him like he’s a green little alien from space. 

“Um,” she drags out. “Is everything okay?” 

He realizes that he must look a fucking mess; sitting on this crate with his legs crossed and breathing out into the air obnoxiously. He clears his throat and stands up, legs a little fuzzy after being sat on for so long. 

“Yeah, I’m uh…” he considers lying, but then he decides that he doesn’t need to. He doesn’t think Betty would judge him. At least he hopes she doesn’t. “I’m hiding from someone.” 

She raises an eyebrow, waiting for him to elaborate. 

“Okay so, I ran into this woman at Nordstrom who recognized me and more or less invited herself here and I just... don’t want to have to deal with that.” 

Betty laughs and Jughead sighs. He sounds like such an asshole. 

“Okay, so why don’t you just tell her that you aren’t interested in _that_?” 

“Because it’s so much easier to just not deal with it!” 

“Sure, yeah, but you are hiding out in a freezer just so you don’t have to run into her so like, doesn’t really seem to me like you’re winning anyway.” 

He sighs again. 

“Well, when you put it that way.” He tugs on his jacket as a random chill goes over him and he realizes that Betty isn’t wearing a jacket over her dress. Her lips are already turning a darker shade of red and her cheeks and the tip of her nose are tinged pink. Even from here he can see the goosebumps on her arms and chest, which he looks away from as soon as he glances at it.

“Here,” he says, shrugging off his coat, “put this on.” 

“Oh, no, I’m okay.” As soon as she says the words, she shivers and Jughead gives her a pointed look. “Oh, okay,” she blushes, or at least he thinks she does. It might just be from the cold. “Thank you.” 

Jughead wraps the coat around her and she nestles into it and smiles against the collar. 

“So why are you here?” He asks. 

“I was just grabbing some ice for the bar. They’re running low out there.” 

He nods. “You’re done singing?” 

“Oh,” she says, a little surprised. “You heard me?” 

“Yeah,” he says a little too quickly. He clears his throat. “You’re really good. I mean, you have a beautiful voice.” 

She smiles and looks down. “I’m sure you’ve heard a lot better.” 

He shakes his head. “No. Betty, I’m serious. Your voice is beautiful. You shouldn’t downplay it.” 

She looks up at him and purses her lips before nodding. “Well, thank you. That means a lot to me.” 

“I also think it’s pretty sick that you did a Mötley Crüe cover. I don’t think I’ve ever heard that song sung that way. It was kind of magical.” 

“Magical?” She says with a grin. “Now I _know_ you’re just saying things.” 

“You’re definitely better than I am, that’s for sure.” 

“Oh yeah? Gonna sing me something and prove that?” 

“Absolutely not,” he says with a laugh and he watches as a little puff of air floats out. He knows how ridiculous this has to be, the two of them joking and having a conversation as they both freeze their asses off, but for some reason he really doesn’t want to leave. Betty doesn’t make a move to leave either. 

“You look beautiful tonight,” he blurts out, the words leaving his lips without him really even thinking them through. “Well, you’re always beautiful but I’ve never seen you dressed up and it’s nice. I mean, _you_ look nice.” He sounds like such an idiot as he stumbles over his words, but he doesn’t want to sound like he’s somehow insulting her. She doesn’t look insulted though, she just smiles kindly at him. 

“Thank you, Jughead. You look really nice too.” She twirls her hands together for a few seconds. “Do you think it’s safe to leave now?” She jokes. 

“Probably not, but let's do this.” He leans down to the floor to pull a bag of ice up for her. “If I get mauled out there, say a prayer for me.” 

“Sure,” she laughs. It’s the second time they’ve been alone together since their whole “truce” thing, but it’s the first time she’s treated him like an actual friend and it’s nice. She’s not holding back with him, not really at least, and he’s trying not to hold back with her either. Betty’s a nice person to be around and he wants to be able to be himself around her, whatever that actually means. He’s still trying to figure it out. 

The party is going strong by the time they’re out, which is no surprise. He looks around for a familiar face but doesn’t see one, so he just follows Betty to the bar. 

“Who put you on ice duty?” He asks as he tosses the heavy bag onto the counter. High school him would be wheezing right now. 

“Reggie was hounded with people over here, so I volunteered to get it so he wouldn’t have to worry about it.” 

Jughead nods and wonders if she knows about Reggie’s crush on her. He wants to ask her and maybe if she were anyone else, he would ask her, but she isn’t. She’s Betty. Prying just doesn’t seem right. 

“Could you pour it down there please?” She asks as she gestures to the freezers under the bar. Jughead nods and moves to do just that. “Do you see Reggie? I don’t want to leave this place unattended, but I don’t know how to make drinks so…” 

Jughead stands a little taller to try and see if he can get a good look. Finding Reggie shouldn’t be hard at all, he’d been wearing a red jacket, but he doesn’t see him in the crowd. He does catch a glimpse of Toni though, who’s currently talking to someone he doesn’t recognize. At least he knows where one of his friends is. 

“Oh,” Betty says excitedly. “There he is.” She points to the crowd and Jughead follows her finger and nearly chokes on nothing when he sees who Reggie is standing with. 

“That’s the girl,” he tells Betty. “Rachel; the one I accidentally invited.” 

Betty’s eyes widen at his words and when she looks at Reggie this time, there’s an interest there that hadn’t been present before. 

“She’s beautiful,” she breathes out. “Wow.” 

Jughead turns to look at Betty in interest. Most girls wouldn’t actually admit something like that; at least not the girls he knows, the ones back in California. He’d once called a model pretty when he was dating Jade and she’d nearly ripped the _other_ girl’s hair off. Hearing Betty call another girl beautiful is weird, but nice. She’s being genuine, he can tell, and that’s nice too. He hadn’t been lying when he told her she had a heart of gold. 

“Yeah,” he agrees, because Rachel _is_ beautiful. She looks like she could be on the cover of Vogue and the black dress she’s wearing looks amazing on her, but he doesn’t want to see it off of her. Not at all. He doesn’t want to have to deal with telling her that either. 

“Well, she looks very interested in Reggie now.” And Betty’s right. Their heads are nearly pressing together as Reggie whispers something to her, causing the blonde to laugh and grab onto his arm. “So I think that you lucked out on having to let her down.” 

“Thank God. I need a drink; something hard.” 

He doesn’t realize what he’s said until Betty goes completely still next to him. He turns to her in confusion. She’s looking down at the bowl of salt in her hands, but it’s like she’s looking _right through it_. It’s the same look he’s seen on her before and it’s haunting to see it right now in an otherwise loud and vibrant room. He opens his mouth to ask her what’s wrong when he realizes just what exactly he’s said. His chest goes cold as he opens his mouth. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, voice a little shaky, because he doesn’t know what else to say. 

Betty finally moves to shake her head at him. “No, don’t be sorry. _I’m_ sorry. Don’t ever feel like you can’t drink or something because of me. I guess it just took me a little off guard, I’m sorry. As long as you have a ride home after this, drink as much as you want to.” 

Jughead nods, a frown on his face. He actually came here with Veronica and Archie to help them set things up and he already knows they’re going to leave late as hell, which doesn’t really sound all that appealing to him if he does get drunk. He’d rather not hang around here so late if it meant he’d possibly make a fool out of himself. 

“Yeah,” he says anyway, “of course.” 

Betty squints like she doesn’t really believe him, but he smiles and she eventually smiles back at him. 

“Excuse me,” a voice rings out, “what does a girl gotta do to get a drink around here?” Cheryl grins at them and from the way she’s smiling just a little _homicidally_ , Jughead would guess that she’s probably a little more than tipsy. She leans against the bar to try and keep her balance and Jughead snorts when she slips a little. She doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest. 

“Babe,” Toni says as she slinks up behind Cheryl and wraps an arm around her waist to hold her steady, “you really don’t need more to drink.” 

“Just one,” Cheryl whines and Jughead bites down on his lip so he doesn’t laugh. Betty’s next to him watching the entire thing with amusement on her face. “A Long Island please!” 

“Oh, absolutely not,” Toni says. “That’s what you drink to get messed up and you’re already past that.” 

“Boring!” Cheryl cries out and Jughead full on laughs at that. He has _never_ seen Cheryl like this, it’s so out of character to him, and it’s fucking amazing to witness right now. She looks like the young wild girl he went to highschool with, just a lot whiner. He’s never going to let her live this down. 

Suddenly Cheryl looks at Betty and gasps. 

“Oh, whoa. You’re looking _super hot_ ,” she breathes out and leans over the bar a little more like she’s trying to get a closer look. Toni and Jughead share an amused look. “Betty, do you like girls?” 

“Um.” 

“Don’t answer that,” Toni says with a sigh even though she’s smiling. “Cheryl, you’re being rude.” 

“Am not! I’m just curious. If you like girls, let me know, because…” She moves closer to Betty and Betty leans in towards her, humoring her. “ _We do threesomes_ ,” Cheryl whispers and Jughead nearly loses his goddamn mind. Toni’s eyes go comically wide as she pulls Cheryl back, who yelps at the sudden movement, and Betty gasps in shock before laughing. 

“Okay!” Toni says, wrapping an arm around Cheryl and pulling her behind her. “It was so lovely seeing you two! Bye!” 

“Bye,” Jughead and Betty says in unison before turning to look at each other. They’re silent for a second before they burst into laughter. 

“Oh, my god,” Betty says in between puffs of laughter. 

“Talk about too much information!” Jughead nearly screams. They’re being so fucking loud, but he really doesn’t care. That was _wild_. And yet, he’s not really surprised if he’s being honest. 

“Okay, what the hell are you two laughing about?” Veronica asks as she sits in one of the empty stools. Archie’s with her, but he continues to stand. He looks a little tipsy too. Veronica’s looking at Jughead and Betty, completely sober and with something in her eyes that he really can’t place. Whatever it is, she looks happy at least. 

He and Betty share a look, almost like they’re questioning if they should tell Veronica their newest information. He shakes his head once and Betty nods in understanding. 

“Oh, nothing. Just a funny joke.” 

“Uh huh,” Veronica says, but she’s still smiling. “Have you guys seen Reggie? I don’t trust either of you to bartend, no offense.” 

“None taken,” Jughead says. “But uh, actually.” He gestures over to where Reggie and Rachel are _still_ showcasing their PDA and Veronica gasps in glee. 

“Wow,” she drags out. “That actually makes so much sense.” If anything he’s just glad to see that Reggie is still the same as he was in high school. Honestly, if he’d come back here to see Reggie in his mid-twenties and settled down, he definitely would have thought he was in the Twilight Zone. 

“Can I get a rum and coke?” A man asks as he comes up to the bar. As far as drinks go, it’s a pretty simple one that they should know how to make, but either way, they don’t move. 

“Reggie!” Veronica shouts, getting the attention of several other people. Reggie turns around and he looks like a deer caught in the headlights as if he’s just now remembering that he’s supposed to be working at the bar here. Typical. 

He jogs over to the bar and smiles sheepishly at all of them. Jughead and Betty entertain him with a smile, but Veronica looks less than pleased. 

“Are you having fun?” She asks as she crosses her arms. “Seriously, Reg. How do you _volunteer_ to help me out and then leave to go hook up with people? You suck.” 

“I’m sorry, Ronnie,” he says as he goes about getting the rum and coke. “But did you see her? Can you blame me?” 

And as if on cue, like they’re in some terribly written romance, Rachel saunters over to them as a slow and sensual song starts to play. Jughead almost wants to laugh. 

“Oh, wow,” Archie says, causing Veronica to throw him a sharp look before rolling her eyes. Veronica doesn’t get jealous, she’s too confident for that, but she does get annoyed. He doesn’t see this ending well. “Do we know her?” 

“That’s Jughead’s new girl,” Veronica says, “but apparently now she’s with Reggie.” 

“Wait, what?” Reggie asks, a frown starting to form on his face. Before anyone can answer him, Rachel places a manicured hand onto the bar and smiles. 

“Jughead,” she greets, smile as friendly as a wolf’s. “I was wondering when I’d see you.” 

It shouldn’t bug him that she’s talking to him like they’re friends, but for some reason it does. He can’t explain it, but it’s there and it’s weird. 

“You look lovely,” he tells her, because at least that’s the truth. She looks even prettier up close and he can see why Reggie had been practically salivating over her. “Enjoying yourself?” 

“Oh yes.” She turns to Veronica. “This place is beautiful. I love it.” 

“Well, thank you.” Jughead knows how much the compliment must mean to her. She’s put a lot of hard work into this place and it must be nice to get recognition for that. 

“Can I get a Long Island?” She asks as she bats her eyes at Reggie, who scrambles to do exactly that for her. Jughead has to refrain from laughing at the reminder of Cheryl’s little outburst just a few moments ago. “So Jughead, how long are you in town for?”

“Not sure yet,” he answers. It’s honest enough without giving away any actual information. 

Everyone around them is watching the awkward exchange with interest. He almost wishes Cheryl were still here, maybe she could talk Rachel into leaving with _her_. Cheryl had that kind of power. 

“We should get together then,” Rachel suggests, the sharp smile never leaving her face. 

Jughead glances over at Veronica and Archie, who are both looking at him with amusement written all over their faces and absolutely no desire to help him out. 

“Um,” he starts, but then there’s the shattering of glass next to him and a loud gasp.

“Oh, my God!” Veronica screeches. “Betty, are you okay?” 

Sure enough, glass is lying all around Betty’s feet and as the one nearest to her, Jughead quickly moves to make sure that she hasn’t cut herself anywhere. 

“Don’t step on it!” He instructs as she moves to do just that. She’s in open toed heels and he really doesn’t want her to accidentally step on some of the larger pieces. “Here,” he says and reaches out to take hold of her hand. “Are you okay?” 

“I think I need to lay down,” she says softly and Veronica nods. 

“Go to my office! Arch, can you lead the way?” 

Archie gets up and motions for them to follow him and Jughead lifts Betty off of the ground to make sure she doesn’t step on any of the glass. He doesn’t know what the hell just happened there, but if she isn’t feeling well then they really need to get her off of her feet.

When they finally get to a room in the back of the building, Archie lets them in and helps Jughead get Betty over to the couch in the room. 

“Take as long as you need,” he says, “and call if you need anything.” 

“Thanks, man.” 

Archie nods and closes the door behind him. As soon as they’re alone, Jughead crouches onto the floor so he can be eye level with Betty. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, looking over her. “What happened out there?” 

Imagine his surprise, when Betty sits up from the couch and grins at him. His mouth drops open at the sudden change. 

“I figured you could use an out to get away from that conversation.” 

Jughead’s still trying to get his stupid mouth off of the floor as Betty explains this to him, when he realizes just what she did. 

“Betty, you could have seriously hurt yourself. What if that glass had shattered on you?”

She just crinkles her nose and shrugs. “Well, it didn’t.” 

_But it could have_ , he wants to tell her. It was dangerous and reckless and the fact that she doesn’t seem to really take that into consideration is a little alarming, but she’s smiling at him like she did something amazing and in a way she did, so he lets it go. For now.

“Well, thank you. Did I really look that obvious?” 

“No. I don’t think you’re aware of this, but you kind of ooze confidence. If I hadn’t known that you were already freaking out about seeing her, then I wouldn’t have noticed at all. I don’t think she noticed either, so at least there’s that.” 

He hums. It’s funny to hear someone say that he “oozes confidence”. He wonders what his old high school self would think of that statement. He’d probably shake his head and say no way, that’s another beanie wearing weirdo. And then Jughead would have to remind him that he hasn’t worn the beanie in years and well, _that_ would really let his old self know that something was wrong. Or maybe something was right. He’s starting to think that it’s the second one. 

“You know, I’m surprised that more people don’t try to hook up with me or something.” Betty raises an eyebrow at that and he winces. “Okay, I did not mean for it to come out that way.” 

“I know, but didn’t you grow up with these people?”

“Some of them, yeah.” 

“Well, they’re probably able to see past the celebrity whereas Rachel only saw that. She might get past that eventually, if you want to give her the time to.” 

He bites at his lip as he considers the question. Maybe that was the issue. He had known she was looking at him and only seeing the celebrity, the money and fame, which isn’t really something that he wants from a person who doesn’t already share that kind of lifestyle with him. 

“Maybe,” he says more to himself than to her. “Her and Reggie seemed pretty comfortable with each other though, so I don’t really think she’s all that interested in me at all.” 

“Reggie is a smoothtalker, you can’t hold that against her. Anyone would fall under his charm.” 

He nods and rolls his eyes, because well, she’s right. He wants to ask her if she’s fallen under that charm, but decides against it. Betty has been incredibly friendly with him despite the fact that their friendship is literally only days old. She’s being open with him and joking and talking about things like normal friends do and he doesn’t want to do a single thing that could possibly ruin that. 

“Are you okay?” Betty asks when he’s quiet for a little too long. He nods. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I guess I’m just really tired.” It’s not a lie, not really at least. For some reason he does feel more exhausted than he thought he was. He hadn’t slept well last night either, so this is probably the payback for deciding to stay up so late and binge watch That 70’s Show. He couldn’t help himself though; he’d always had a crush on Jackie Burkhart when he was younger and now he could respect how funny and badass of a character she actually was. So sue him for wanting to indulge in a little comedy for once. 

“Are you going to leave?” 

“I don’t know. I’ll feel bad leaving Veronica and Archie.” 

“Oh, please,” Betty laughs. “I’m sure they’ll be just fine without you.” 

“Ouch.” 

“You know what I mean! I’m sure Veronica appreciates that you were here at all. I don’t think she’ll be upset with you if you want to leave early.” 

“I know, I know.” He sighs. “I guess I just feel like… I don’t know. I don’t want to mess things up so soon, especially since they’re going so well, you know?” 

“I do know. But I also know that Veronica would never want you to stay somewhere you didn’t want to be, even if the reason was just because you were tired. A friendship isn’t walking on eggshells; it’s speaking up and understanding each other.”

“God,” he laughs. “You really are such a teacher.” 

“Yes,” she says slowly. “Thank you for noticing.” 

Jughead just shakes his head. “It’s too early to head out either way.” 

It’s actually not. It’s nearing eleven now and he’s not sure how long this thing is going to go on for, but he’s already feeling tired and doesn’t know if he can make it to whenever that is. He could probably work up enough energy if he took a shot or something, but again, he’s not really looking forward to making a fool of himself tonight. 

“I came with Veronica and Archie and I doubt they’re going to be leaving any time soon.” 

“I could give you a ride,” Betty offers. “Parties aren’t really my thing and I just came to be supportive.” It’s kind of crazy really, how just days ago Betty couldn’t stand the sight of him and now she’s willingly offering him a ride home. Just goes to show you how far an apology can go, he guesses. Maybe he should really try giving them more often. 

“If you’re sure you don’t want to be here. I really don’t want to make you feel like you need to give me a ride. I can always wait, or try to find Cheryl and Toni. I’m sure Toni’s probably trying to get Cheryl to leave by now.” They both laugh as they remember Cheryl’s drunken conversation with them.

“Don’t worry about it, seriously. We could pick up some food or something.” She whispers the words and looks down as she says them like she’s embarrassed over them and Jughead frowns. Why would she be embarrassed to say that? Does she think he’s going to tell her no? As if. 

“You’d want to do that with me?” 

Betty looks up at him in confusion. “Yes? Why wouldn’t I?” 

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I guess I’m just not used to people, especially girls, just wanting to be my friend. I’m certainly not used to them asking me to get a bite to eat with them without some kind of string attached. It’s different.” 

“Bad?” 

“No,” he says quickly. “Good. It’s definitely good. I’d love to get a bite to eat.” 

Betty smiles and it’s like all of the tension washes off of her. Jughead wonders if she’s always like this, always second guessing everything. Does it have to do with what she’s been through? It must, because otherwise it doesn’t really make sense. Who could ever make her feel like she has to second guess herself? He doesn’t know, but he does know one thing. He’s never going to make her feel that way. It doesn’t matter that their friendship is still in the earliest stages, he already knows that Betty’s someone he never wants to hurt. She’s someone that he wants to have in his life for a long time, or at least for a while longer. He’s never quite met someone who looks at him the way that she does; like he’s just another person, like she doesn’t care that he’s _Jughead Jones_. She looks at him the way that Archie and Veronica do and she can’t possibly imagine just how much that means to him. 

When Jughead and Betty announce that they’re leaving, Veronica’s smile falls from her face quickly and she excuses herself as she pulls Jughead to the side, away from prying eyes. 

“What the hell are you doing, Jug?” She says through her teeth. He looks at her in complete confusion. 

“What do you mean?” 

“You can’t do that with Betty. Whatever you do with your other girls, you cannot do it with her.” He’s horrified and he tries to open his mouth to defend himself, but Veronica cuts him off. “I’m serious. She’s not going to like you, not that way at least, and you need to respect that. You can’t try to sleep with her or anything. She’s fragile. She’s been through way too much to deal with the heartache that comes with loving Jughead Jones.” 

“Veronica!” He finally says. It’s the first time she’s shown any feeling towards the newfound friendship between him and Betty. He hadn't expected her to react like this. “It’s not like that. What the fuck? It’s a friendly thing. I’m not that much of an asshole, Jesus Christ.” She gives him a look and he sighs. “Okay, I’m not that much of an asshole _anymore_. I wouldn’t mess with her like that.” 

“You better not, Jughead. I’m so serious about this. I will actually kick your ass into next year if you hurt her, friendly or not. Do you understand me?” 

Fuck. “Yes,” he says, a little annoyed. “But you’re wrong about her being fragile. She isn’t. She’s strong, Veronica. A lot stronger than anyone else would be in her position.” He might not know her that well, but he knows that much at least. 

Veronica doesn’t say anything, but she lets him walk away from her so he’ll take it. He can understand why she’s being so protective right now, but a part of him is upset that she’s so quick to think the worst of him right now. Sure, he hasn’t exactly given her reasons to think any better, but damn it, he’s trying here. It’s hard to keep trying and to be positive whenever you keep getting reminded of all the ways you’ve fucked up. 

“Is everything okay?” Betty asks once they’re outside. She’s still wearing his coat and she pulls it a little tighter around herself as the cool wind hits her skin. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. She just worries a lot.” 

Betty nods. “She’s a really good friend. I think I met her right when I was supposed to.” 

She has that far away look in her eyes again and Jughead wants to ask her to expand on that statement, but he doesn’t. Maybe she’ll tell him what she means one day, but he’s not going to push her about it. He knows what kind of damage pushing can do to someone. 

Betty’s Malibu is nice. He’s never actually been in one before, and it’s been a long time since he’s been in a car that cost less than 100k, but he’s liking it. She’s drives slow, maybe a little slower than she should, and she never takes her eyes off of the road, even when she changes a song on the station. 

Axl Rose is singing to them about November Rain and Jughead smiles at the song. He must be pretty damn obvious or something, because without even looking over at him, Betty questions it. 

“What?” She asks. 

“Nothing, I just… The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, _and _Guns N’ Roses?” He’s impressed, that’s for damn sure. “I just didn’t take you as the kind of girl who would listen to this stuff.”__

__“Really? And what did you think I would listen to?”_ _

__He shrugs. “I don’t know. Some kind of pop?”_ _

__He can see her lips turn up into a smile as she reaches out to press a button and within seconds, Tearin’ Up My Heart is playing through the speakers and Jughead laughs loudly at the drastic change._ _

__“Okay, okay, point made.”_ _

__“I like a lot of things,” she says softly as she changes the song back to November Rain. It’s a better song for right now, that’s for sure, and it’s one of his favorites so he’s happy to lean back into the seat and close his eyes. “Like right now I’d really like some nuggets. Do you eat McDonald’s or is that against your Hollywood diet?” She’s joking, he can tell, but she doesn’t know how right she actually is. It _is_ against his diet and his personal trainer would kill him for even considering it. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s had McDonald’s if he’s being honest, and he doesn’t know if he should be proud or not about that. _ _

__The idea of eating the greasy food makes his stomach turn upside down, but he’s not about to tell Betty that._ _

__“Sure, yeah. McDonald’s is fine with me.”_ _

__

__He ends up getting a McFlurry and fries while Betty, true to her word, orders nuggets. He pays for them, telling her that it’s the least he can do since she’s giving him a ride home. She doesn’t look too happy about the whole ordeal, but she also allows him to, so he’ll take what he can get right now._ _

__When they get back to the neighborhood, Jughead hesitates. She hadn’t said anything about spending any more time together and really, he should just leave her alone. They’re barely friends, he doesn’t need to hang out with her constantly now. But a part of him, for some reason, really doesn’t want to leave just yet._ _

__“Do you want to come in?” Betty asks right before he’s about to take off towards Archie’s. He turns to look at her in surprise and she laughs a little awkwardly. “I just mean it’s early and I’m sure the house is pretty boring when you’re alone.” The way she says it makes Jughead feel like she’s talking about herself and not him. “We could watch a movie.”_ _

__“Not one of mine,” Jughead says._ _

__“Not one of yours,” she promises with a smile._ _

__It’s easy to follow her after that._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always feel free to come talk to me on tumblr @ lana-luthor <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER, YEEEEEE. 
> 
> I just want to say thank you to everyone who comments on this story. I wasn't able to reply to all the comments on the last update, but it seriously means the world to me that you guys like this story and I love reading what y'alls thoughts on it are. :')) 
> 
> And a HUUUUUGE thank you to @peaceblessingspeyton over on Tumblr for being an amazing beta and catching all my little grammar mistakes and for making this story *that* much better. I appreciate you so much. <3 
> 
> Little side note: In chapter one, Jughead is attending the Academy Awards which is usually during the beginning of the year, but I mention Halloween coming up so like… lets just act like the Oscars takes place later in the year. I cannot be bothered to care enough about this, LOL. 
> 
> Enjoy. :D

He sleeps better than he has in months. He and Betty had stayed up until two in the morning watching movies, but they didn’t really talk much. He’d learned that Betty wasn’t the type to talk during movies and he respected that. Despite their communal silence, it had never felt awkward and he had genuinely enjoyed his night spent with her. He realized, when he got home and into bed, that it was the first time he’d spent time with a girl who wasn’t a hometown friend and that he just _hung out_ with. He didn’t have close girl friends in California, not ones that he could just chill with and watch movies without taking off their clothes and it had been nice. It had been _really_ nice. 

Which is why when he wakes up and goes downstairs, he decides to make breakfast for Archie and Veronica. They’re still fast asleep and he’s honestly not even sure what time they’d gotten home at. When he rolled into bed, they were still out, but both of their cars are parked outside so he figures that they must have gotten home at some point in the late hours. 

As he walks around their kitchen, he starts to realize just how much he _doesn’t_ know about cooking. When he lived at home, he survived off of eggs and toast, cereal, and the occasional very burnt bacon. Ever since he moved to Hollywood, he’s had a personal chef to do all of this for him. He could try to copy the food she makes for him, but Veronica actually knows her way around a kitchen and he’d rather not have her pity eat his food. 

In the end, he finds a box of pancake mix and some bacon. As far as breakfast goes, it’s not the greatest but it definitely isn’t the worst thing they could eat. He hardly even burns the bacon, which he counts as an absolute win for him. He’s on his second pancake when Veronica comes stumbling into the kitchen in a robe, fuzzy slippers, hair disarray, and rubbing her eyes sleepily. 

“Wild night?” Jughead asks with a smirk. Veronica stumbles a bit and looks up at him in surprise. 

“Jug,” she says, blinking rapidly like she’s trying to clear her vision. Her voice sounds like a frog’s and he just knows she has to be nursing a bit of a hangover. “What’re you doing up?” Her words are slurred and mashed together which makes it a little hard to understand her, but he’s been dealing with a hungover Veronica since they were teens. It’s easy for him to decipher her sentences. 

“It’s almost noon,” he says a bit slowly and Veronica glances at the clock on the oven like she doesn’t believe him. 

“Oh,” she whispers when she realizes he’s telling the truth. “Well, what are you doing?” 

“Making breakfast.” He flips the pancake over like he’s making some kind of point and Veronica just blinks. “Does Archie still eat like a bottomless pit?” 

“If I recall, I’m pretty sure _you_ were the one who constantly ate yourself into a food coma.” 

She’s right. The fast metabolism he had as a kid and teenager was something he took full advantage of back in the day. He used to spend hours at Pop’s scarfing down burgers and slurping milkshakes. He could eat as much as he wanted and he wouldn’t even gain an ounce. Now though, he had to be careful about what he ate. He wasn’t on a strict diet per se, but he definitely wasn’t slinging back burgers like they were candy anymore. Hell, he’s not even slinging back _candy_. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“So what time did you get home?” Veronica asks when he’s on the fourth pancake. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? Seriously. How late did you guys stay out?” 

“Too late,” Veronica whines and places her head into her hands. “Too, too late.” 

Jughead, feeling bad for her, hands over his own cup of coffee for her to drink. She gives him a grateful smile that almost looks like a wince before chugging half of the cup. When she looks back at him, there’s a look on her face that lets him know he isn’t about to like the conversation they’re going to have. 

“So you and Betty. Explain that to me.” He rolls his eyes. _Called it_. “I’m serious, Jughead! Don’t roll your eyes at me, I’ll kick your ass.” 

He gives her 5’2” self a pointed glance and she flips him off for it. 

“It’s nothing, Ronnie. We talked the other night. I apologized for the rocky start and we had a cup of tea.” 

“You had tea?” She asks, incredulously. 

“Yeah. We’re friends.”

“Friends?” 

“Yes, friends!” He snaps. “God, why is that so hard to believe?” 

“That you can be _just_ friends with a girl.” 

“What? Of course I can! I have tons of girl friends!” 

“Girlfriends? Yes. _Girl friends_? Not exactly.” 

“I have you--.”

“You have me, your closest girl friend and your best friend’s wife. Cheryl, a raging lesbian and Toni, her soon-to-be wife. That’s literally it and honestly, we can’t even really count Toni in this ‘friends only’ thing because you and her fooled around that one time--.” 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Jughead yells. “We don’t talk about that. Ever.” It had been a drunken mistake fueled by Toni being pissed at Cheryl for breaking up with her. It had earned Jughead a sharp slap from Cheryl and a lot of groveling for forgiveness. They all like to forget about it and act like it never happened.

Veronica raises an eyebrow. “I’m just saying! You’ll have to forgive me if I’m having a bit of a hard time believing you can keep Betty in that ‘friends only’ group.” 

“Fuck, Veronica. It’s not like that! How much of a dick do you think I am? I know what she’s been through! I know she’s not ready for anything like that and even if she were, I don’t like her that way.” And it’s true. He and Betty get along so well already, despite the rocky start and the fact that they don’t really know each other that well. He genuinely enjoys her company in a way that he’s not sure he ever has with another girl. He looks at her and he honest-to-God wants only the best for her. He’s only known her for a little while, but it already feels like Betty’s going to be in his life for a while. He’s never felt like this towards any other girl he dated. All of these things were what made him realize that he only saw her as a friend. 

“Okay, Jughead, okay. I just… I really care about that girl. She’s become one of my best friends and I… I love you to death, but I know what you’re like with girls.” He frowns at that because there’s really not anything he can say. Veronica has a point. He doesn’t exactly have the best track records when it comes to his relationships and he’s not too self-absorbed to admit that he’s usually a big part of the problem. 

“Well, you don’t have to worry about that, okay?” 

Veronica nods. “Speaking of dating--.” 

“No one was speaking of that,” Jughead says, cutting her off. 

“ _Speaking of dating_ : Jade Everton. Can we please talk about that now?” 

Jughead sighs. He knew this was going to come up eventually. Veronica’s too damn curious and doesn’t know how to let shit go. 

“What do you want to know?” 

“Did you love her?” The question throws him off so badly that he drops one of the pancakes he’d been transporting from pan to plate and he sighs sadly at his fallen work. Veronica must think he’s sighing from other things because she gives him one of those depressing little smiles. “Aw… Jug. Was it a bad breakup?” 

“What? No!” He laughs at the question. “It wasn’t…. It wasn’t real.” 

She frowns as she looks at him in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?” 

“It was for PR, or well, it was at first. I guess it became real sometime after that, but it was never serious, you know? It wasn’t what everyone made it out to be.”

Veronica’s looking at him in complete shock, but underneath that, there’s something that makes him a little uncomfortable. 

“Wow,” she says softly. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know. I guess I just never really pictured you agreeing to that sort of thing.” That makes two of them. “But it was real? Eventually?” 

He shrugs. “Yeah. I liked her, obviously, but I never loved her and I never thought of it as anything serious. I honestly don’t know when she decided I was the love of her life, because it never felt like that at all.” He doesn’t say it like he’s hurt by it, because he’s not. His heart doesn’t ache at the fact that it never felt like she loved him. He doesn’t sit around and wonder what he could have done differently throughout their relationship. Truth be told, he doesn’t really think of her at all these days. 

“Oh. Cheryl nearly lost her mind when she first found out.” 

Jughead laughs. He can picture that perfectly in his mind. “Don’t tell me she’s a huge Jade fan.” 

“Not exactly. Although she does love blaring _Better Without You_ sometimes.” Veronica looks at him with a devious smile and Jughead groans. He knows what she’s silently asking him. She’s asking him if it’s true, if that song is really about him because that’s been the rumor ever since their public breakup. “So is it you? The boy who downs shots of alcohol like it’s the fountain of youth? The guy who smiles at every face in the room but can’t make time to look at hers? The one who she can paint with her eyes closed but who can’t even remember the color of her eyes?” 

“Fuck off,” Jughead whines as Veronica cackles loudly. “Yes, it’s about me, okay?” Veronica’s laugh grows louder into a near banshee cry and Jughead decides to ignore her. 

Most people write songs about their exes and leave it at that, but not Jade. Nope. She had sent Jughead an actual link to the song the night she dropped it with a selfie of her flipping him off attached to it. For America’s Sweetheart, she’s kind of a bitch. Not that he’d ever admit that to anyone else. 

“What the hell is going on?” Archie says as he emerges down the stairs. His hair is all over the place and he’s still only in a pair of boxers. He stumbles a little as he makes his way into the kitchen and Jughead and Veronica both laugh at him. “You guys are so damn loud.” 

“Well, considering it’s the afternoon,” Jughead mutters under his breath. “Do you want some breakfast?” He asks louder and Archie’s entire mood changes as he grabs a plate and helps Jughead serve the three of them.

“So how was last night?” Archie asks as he takes a bite of his bacon. “I didn’t know you and Betty were friendly.” 

Jughead sneaks a look at Veronica, scared that the topic will upset her, but she’s just looking at him with interest now. 

“Yeah,” he shrugs. “I don’t know. We just got to talking one night and I mean, if I’m going to be here for a while then I figure I might as well make friends with her, considering she seems to be pretty close to everyone.” 

Archie nods. “Reggie was pouting all night after you guys left. He has a serious crush on her, man.” 

Jughead frowns, the way he always seems to when Reggie and Betty are brought up in the same sentence. 

“She’s not into him, is she?” This time he asks Veronica because if it were between the two of them, Veronica would probably be the one to know more. 

“I don’t know,” she answers honestly. “I don’t think so? It’s hard to tell, though. They’re pretty friendly and I know that they occasionally have lunch and dinner together or go out to the movies. Reggie even takes her lunch to work sometimes. It’s cute, but I don’t know if Betty thinks of it that way. Either way, Reggie doesn’t push it or anything. He’s happy being her friend, but if there were even the chance of her wanting something more, he’d totally jump on it.” 

Jughead nods slowly before taking a sip of his orange juice. Just like before, he can’t picture Reggie and Betty being together at all. Hell, it’s hard to even picture them as friends. 

Veronica’s looking at him curiously and he doesn’t want to deal with that at all, so he turns his attention to Archie. 

“What happened with Rachel?” 

He’d forgotten all about her until halfway through watching Transformers with Betty. A part of him, the tiniest part, feels a little bad about ditching her, but then he remembers that technically he didn’t invite her, so he moves on from that. 

Archie and Veronica both laugh at his question and Jughead looks at them, waiting for them to explain their laughter to him. 

“Okay so, I think it’s a good thing you decided to not give her any attention,” Veronica says, “because the only reason she was interested in Reggie was because she thought he was some NFL player.” 

Jughead’s mouth drops open in surprise and he laughs in delight. 

“Yeah, man,” Archie says with a grin. “It was fucking hilarious when she found out he wasn’t who she thought he was. Poor Reg. Then she asked for you and when it became obvious that you weren’t coming back, she just kind of went off and did her own thing.” 

Okay. Well, he doesn’t feel too bad about that then. 

“Damn. So you’re telling me she wasn’t interested in my charming personality then?” 

“Oh, absolutely not,” Archie says. “Good thing you skipped out with Betty.” 

Just as Jughead’s about to make some kind of joke in agreement, a loud ringing comes from the living room. 

“Oh!” Veronica says. “My phone! I was wondering where that went.” She hops up from her seat and runs towards the ringing. 

“You know, the only time I ever see her run is when that thing is going off.” 

“Careful, Arch. You’re starting to sound like our parents.” 

His best friend looks at him in horror. “Oh, God. Isn’t that an actual nightmare to imagine?” 

“Nah, not for you.” 

Archie smiles at the subtle compliment towards his parents. 

“Oh, my God,” Veronica gasps out as she runs back into the kitchen. Jughead and Archie whirl around to look at her and she thrusts her phone into their faces. “Look!” 

Jughead’s body goes cold as he takes in the sight in front of him. 

**Jughead Jones Steps Out With New Mystery Woman in His Hometown**

There’s a blurry picture of him and Betty. They’re outside of La Bonne Nuit and thankfully their backs are towards the camera so you can’t see their faces at all. Jughead’s hand is resting on the back of his jacket that Betty had been wearing as he leads her through the parking lot. It’s not an intimate picture, not to him, not if you’re looking at it with the same eyes that he is, but he can imagine how it looks to someone who doesn’t understand the situation at all. 

The article talks about a secret girlfriend and childhood crush and Jughead’s heart is racing as he reads through it. The entire thing is completely fictional and there’s no truth to any of it at all, but the anger that he feels doesn’t fade away at that fact. 

“Holy shit,” Archie breathes out. “Did they name her?” 

“No! Cheryl just called me because she saw it trending on Twitter.” 

“Fuck,” he whispers under his breath as he drags a hand over his face in frustration. He should have known that someone would end up snapping a picture of him, in fact he’s not even bothered by that part, but the fact that Betty is in the picture with him is what’s upsetting him. He should have been more careful about leaving with her. “I’ve gotta go.” 

“Go?” Veronica exclaims. “Go where?” 

Ignoring her question, he quickly runs up to his room to put on a pair of shoes before making his way out the front door. Archie and Veronica are looking at him like he’s lost his mind, but he doesn’t care. He needs to talk to Betty. He’s not sure if she’s awake or if she’s seen the articles yet, but he’d rather talk to her first if possible. 

He’s knocking on her door for all of two seconds before she answers it with a smile on her face. 

She looks well rested for once and Jughead pauses his inner freakout to really look over her. Her eyes don’t look as puffy and dark as usual and the smile on her lips doesn’t seem as forced and faked as it normally does. She looks… content. He hopes the news he’s about to share doesn’t ruin that. 

“Jughead, hey! Everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” he says, not wanting her to worry, but then he shakes his head. “Well, no. I don’t know. Can we talk?”

She looks confused but nods regardless and steps aside so that he can enter the house. Snow Patrol is playing from the old record player, but he can’t remember the title of the song. The tune and lyrics are so beautiful though and Betty’s looking at him from across the room with big green eyes and flushed pink cheeks and he forgets everything for a moment. 

“Jughead?” 

“ _There’sanarticleaboutyou_ ,” he says quickly, his words coming out as one long, singular word instead of a coherent sentence. She’s confused for about three seconds before her eyes widen in horror. “Well, not _you_ you, but someone took a picture of us leaving last night and now everyone is speculating. I’m sorry, Betty. I should have told you the chances of that happening were pretty high. I should have been more careful, fuck. I--.” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” Betty says, cutting him off. “It’s… Well, it’s not really okay, but I get it. You shouldn’t apologize for something you can’t really control. It’s not like you took the picture.” 

“No, but still! It doesn’t matter that they do it to me, I signed up for that.” No matter how much it might suck and no matter how much he hates it, that’s kind of the truth here. “But you didn’t, I’m sorry.” 

“Nobody knows who I am, Jughead. It’s okay, really. I’m sure it’ll blow over.” She smiles at him in reassurance, before a troubled look comes over her face. “I um, I hope this doesn’t cause any problems with your girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, I guess.” 

Jughead’s not sure what she’s talking about at first, but then he remembers that he told Betty about the night at the Oscars and he winces. He doesn’t want to tell her the truth about that, but he also doesn’t want to have to lie. 

“She uh- it’s fine. It’s not like that.” He has to refrain from checking his phone that’s currently in the pocket of his sweats. He hadn’t even thought of Jade, but now he can’t stop. If she had been pissed about the Cheryl thing, then he can only imagine her reaction to this. No doubt he’s going to have a few missed calls from Matt and Cara. This entire thing is turning out to be a real goddamn nightmare. 

Betty looks at him like she knows that he’s lying to her and he clears his throat. 

“Well, do you have the article?” She asks. “I want to see it.” 

Jughead raises an eyebrow before nodding. “Yeah, yeah. Everyone is tagging me in it on Twitter.” He fumbles around with his phone for a few seconds before he hands it over to her. She grabs it and begins to read over it for herself. He’s taken aback when she smiles after a few moments. 

“They say they like my hair, that’s really nice. Oh! They’re trying to guess where my dress is from. Alexander McQueen? Who do they think I am?” She’s smiling as she reads it and Jughead is completely floored. He had expected her to be pissed off and betrayed. He had expected yelling and being told to stay the hell away, but instead she looks just as amused as Cheryl had been with her own article. 

“Well, you did look nice,” he tells her and she looks up at him briefly to direct her smile at him. He hadn’t read the entire article and he’s happy to see that it’s at least nice. He knows firsthand just how nasty people can be and the idea of anyone talking about Betty like that has him ready to sue a magazine that doesn’t even have a name. “And your dress was lovely.” 

“Thank you. I got it at Forever 21.” 

He nods. _Interesting_. He’s never been in there, but he remembers Toni loving it whenever they were in high school. Whatever it is, he thinks he’d like to see Betty in something a little nicer. She’s gorgeous and tall and she had looked amazing in her dress last night, almost like she should have been promoting it on the cover of a magazine. She has the kind of face that Hollywood would fall in love with; eyes that could win over an entire country. The more time he spends with her, the more that he actually looks at her, he can’t believe that he ever thought of her as an average, girl-next-door type. Betty Cooper is otherworldly. 

“This is kind of crazy,” she says as she hands him back her phone. “Reading about myself in an article.” 

“I’m sorry,” he blurts and she gives him an unimpressed look. “I’m still going to feel bad.” 

“Well don’t.” She yawns as she says the words. “Would you like some tea? Or coffee?”

“Oh, no. I really should go. Sorry for barging in like this, I didn’t mean to bother you.” 

“You’re not bothering me.” She looks at him like he’s crazy for even suggesting such a thing. “It’s Sunday. I’m not doing anything important today.” 

Maybe if this were anyone else, he’d tilt his head at how quickly they’re falling into this friendship routine, but with Betty, it just feels natural. He’s astonished by how badly he does want to spend time with her. 

“Okay,” he finally says. “Some coffee would be nice.” 

 

Betty makes coffee a little too sweet, but Jughead still drinks it with a smile and tells her that it’s perfect. They’re sitting in her living room again, but she’s curled up on a rocking chair in the corner of the room and Jughead sits on the same couch he’d been on last night. A crime show is playing in the background but neither of them are really paying attention to it; it’s just background noise. 

“Does it ever get… not fun?” Betty randomly asks as they tear their eyes away from watching Spencer Reid being forced to watch his girlfriend get shot in cold blood. Jughead’s seen this episode before, but it’s still a tough scene to watch. Betty doesn’t look troubled at all. It’s another thing that he doesn’t know if he should find alarming or not. “Your job, I mean.” 

Jughead shrugs. It’s a loaded question. 

“Sometimes. I feel like I can’t complain, though. My job is probably one of the best ones to have and yet there are moments when I’m not completely enjoying it. I hate that I don’t have privacy and that my friends don’t have privacy either.” He looks down at his coffee cup. “About two years after I got really famous, Veronica posted a throwback picture of us on her Instagram and the hate she got for it was insane.” He’ll never forget reading the comments underneath the picture of them together at the beach. Veronica had been sitting on his shoulders and leaning down so it looked like she was trying to kiss him, but in reality, she had been yelling at him to put her down. She has thick skin though and it didn’t really get to her as badly as it would have to anyone else, but Jughead had still felt like complete shit. People dug deep into Cheryl’s past and even made fan accounts for her _dead brother_. He’d gotten those shut down right away, but he’ll never forget Toni calling him to yell about how distraught Cheryl had been. 

“It’s hard knowing that everything you do, everything you post, is going to be scrutinized by millions of people. It’s stressful, you know? And it’s annoying that I can’t even leave a party with a girl without having it make headlines as if there aren’t more important things going on in the world.” 

“That shouldn’t happen to you,” Betty says. “I mean, it shouldn’t happen to anyone, but especially not to you.” 

He can’t help the snort that leaves him and Betty looks at him in confusion. 

“I think if anyone deserves this kind of shit, it’s me. I haven’t exactly been the best person lately.” It doesn’t matter that he’s been better, because all he can think of is all the ways he’s hurt the people around him and he doesn’t know how to let that go, he’s not even sure if he can. 

“But you’re not a bad person, Jughead.” The words are said with such finality that Jughead finds himself really wanting to believe them. “We all do things we aren’t proud of, things we wish we could take back. It doesn’t make us bad people.” 

“I guess not.” He looks down at his feet, not really knowing what to say right now. A part of him wants to unload on Betty and tell her all the things that he’s done, all the things that he hates about himself, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t want to scare her away. All of this is so new and different to him and he doesn’t want to ruin any of it. 

“What are your plans for the day?” Betty asks him suddenly. “Anything important?” 

“Uh, no. No, I don’t think so.” He didn’t have anything planned and from what he’d learned so far, Archie and Veronica liked to lay in their California King all day and watch TV shows on Sundays. Somehow he’s not jumping at the chance to snuggle between them. 

“Well, I was going to go by my classroom today to decorate for Halloween and I could use some company.” 

It’s something so mundane, but immediately he finds himself excited at the idea. 

“Halloween?” He repeats. “Wow, I can’t believe it’s already going to be October.” 

“Mhm. It’s my favorite holiday.” 

“Really?” 

Betty nods. “I like the movies and the atmosphere. It’s just a really spooky time and I’ve always enjoyed it. It also helps that I get to dress up as whatever I want.” 

“You still dress up?” 

“Don’t you?” 

Yeah, he does, but for some reason hearing that she does makes him smile. Despite all the bad that she’s been through, she’s still getting giddy at the idea of Halloween and dressing up and it’s nice to see. 

“Yeah, I do. And yeah, I’d love to help you out!” He realizes just how excited he sounds at the idea and he clears his throat a little. “I mean if you really want me to. I’m not sure I have the best eye when it comes to that type of thing.” 

Betty snorts. “Neither do I. I don’t think the kids really care. They just like seeing the decorations. But yeah, I do want you to. It’ll be fun.” 

And he has no doubt in his mind that it will be. 

.

.

.

**@PopTalk: Jughead Jones steps out with a gorgeous blonde! Is this the end of Jugade?**

**@JugJones: @PopTalk Pretty sure he and Jade have been over for a while now. Can’t he just have friends? Can you guys please stop invading his life? That poor girl…**

**@HopelessLover: @PopTalk Uh, no. Jade is his soulmate. This girl doesn’t even compare. Her dress is ugly too. Jade would NEVER!**

**@JugJones: @HopelessLover Dude, you don’t even KNOW this girl. Do you realize how stupid you sound? Her dress is gorgeous, but you’re right; Jade would never because Jade ISN’T WITH HIM.**

**@Jones011: Imagine saying Veronica Lodge is dating Jughead Jones and then when you get proven wrong, you say he’s dating a random girl that he was seen with ONCE. Do you people not have friends? Like ???? huh**

.

.

.

Two hours later he and Betty are standing in her empty classroom. Riverdale Elementary looks exactly the same as it had when he went to school here. The hallways are filled with posters decorated by children and pictures of different organizations for writing and science. He remembers when he tried out for the writing team with Archie. He’d written some elaborate story about an underwater world, much like Atlantis, and Archie wrote a story about a talking guitar. Archie got the spot and Jughead didn’t talk to him for a whole day. He smiles at the memory and Betty, observant as ever, catches it. 

“Does it bring back memories being here?” She asks as she goes towards a closet in the back of the room. 

“Yeah. God, standing here makes it feel like it was just yesterday, you know?” It’s crazy to think they’d all been so young once. Now they’re adults, or they’re trying to be at least, and everything here makes it seem like he never left. “Reggie gave me a black eye by the water fountain outside of this room.” 

Betty looks at him in shock and Jughead smiles. “Yeah, he was a real jerk when we were younger. We’re all very happy that he’s grown a heart since then.” 

“So have you been friends with them your whole life?” 

He nods and then shrugs. “Mainly Archie. I’ve known Archie since we were in diapers. We met Reggie in elementary and he was always like an unofficial friend. We liked him well enough during school, but he was such an asshole that we never hung out with him outside of class. Then Veronica came along in middle school and she’s the reason we started talking to Cheryl at all and then Toni came into the group during our sophomore year.” It’s crazy to think that they’ve all known each other for so long and yet they’ve all stayed friends. Jughead knows he can’t really group himself into that category with them just yet, but he has a feeling that if he had stayed here, he absolutely would still be part of that circle. 

“That’s incredible,” Betty says softly. She brings out a large container from the closet and Jughead walks over to help her carry it. “I didn’t have very many friends growing up; certainly not ones that I kept in touch with once I left home.” 

“Really?” He asks with a frown. “Why not?” It’s hard to imagine a girl like Betty not having friends. 

“I was really quiet growing up, I guess. I was always more focused on school than I was on other things. I had friends, don’t get me wrong, but none that I deemed really important. They were more like acquaintances, you could say.” 

“That sounds really lonely.” 

“It was and it wasn’t. I managed.” She pulls out a string of little pumpkin lights. “I’ve made some amazing friends here, though; the kind I didn’t even have back in South Carolina.” 

“You really like Riverdale, don’t you?” He can’t imagine loving this place that much. He hadn’t even loved it when he was living here; he doesn’t think he’d ever love it the way he loves California. Those beaches can’t be beat. 

Betty nods, though. “I really do. I can’t even really explain to you why I love it so much or what about it I love so much, but I don’t think I could see myself anywhere else.” 

“You ever think about going to California?” The question slips off of his tongue before he can really think about what he’s saying. Betty turns and looks at him in surprise and he can feel his face heat up from embarrassment. “I just mean, it’s a really nice place if you like beaches.” 

“I do like beaches. I think that may be one of the few things I miss about South Carolina. Riverdale doesn’t have any beaches and no offense but Sweetwater River doesn’t really make up for anything. Here-” She hands him over a string of little skeleton lights and he takes them from her- “can you hang these underneath the dry erase board?” 

“No offense taken,” he says. “You really haven’t lived until you’ve seen a Cali beach though. There’s just something about them that’s kind of… magical, I guess. I used to go to the Santa Monica Pier whenever I was having a bad day. It was nice.” If he closes his eyes, he can almost picture himself there right now. 

“Oh,” she says quietly. “I’ve always wanted to go there. It seems so fun in the movies and pictures. It’s on my bucket list.” 

He’s about to blurt out that he can take her there when a loud howling noise rings out in the otherwise quiet room. Jughead jumps up, causing the skeleton lights to fall and Betty laughs. 

“What the hell was that?” He gasps. 

“Sorry,” she says through her laughter as she holds up the ugliest looking stuffed wolf he has ever seen. It’s creepy and mangled and his face must give away how he feels because Betty’s laughter grows louder. “I got this thing when I was in high school and I’ve never been able to part with it.” 

“Betty, that thing is hideous.” 

“Isn’t it?” She says the words with an excitement that he doesn’t understand whatsoever and then she walks over to place it onto her desk. 

He doesn’t pretend to like the thing but Betty doesn’t seem to care either way. They continue putting up lights and decorations. Jughead spends a little more time than necessary trying to make sure her bulletin board looks perfectly creepy. By the time they’re done, the room looks like something out of a Halloween TV special and they sit on top of Betty’s desk to admire their handy work. 

“Do the kids get to dress up still?” He asks.

“Mhm,” she nods. “Every year I have a child who dresses up as Ghostface.” 

“Oh, God.” Jughead snorts. “That reminds me of this one year when Archie and I played the worst prank on Veronica.” 

“I’m starting to get the feeling that you two were bullies.” 

“We weren’t! It’s just, Veronica was so easy to mess with. Our junior year of high school, we made her watch all these scary movies during one of our sleepovers, and Veronica used to hate horror movies. So during the night, Archie goes to the restroom and her and I are in the den, which literally had ceiling-to-floor windows so you could see everything outside.” His smile grows as he tells the story. Betty’s leaning into him a little bit like she’s trying to truly immerse herself into the setting. “Her parents were out of town, so we went all out. I’m talking Archie cut the power to her house, I was freaking out and acting like I couldn’t find him, and she didn’t believe us at first until Reggie came over and started banging on the glass windows like a mad man.” Jughead laughs and even Betty looks a little amused now. “That part wasn’t planned at all! Apparently he was trying to hide from some date gone wrong, I don’t remember, but he starts banging on the windows so that we would let him in and it actually scared _me_ so of course it scared the shit out of Veronica, because she’s thinking someone is out killing her friends and I swear to God, Archie nearly pissed himself laughing outside. He was just going to put on a Ghostface mask and scare her a little. Reggie was the true star of the show, though.” 

“You guys are so mean!” Betty exclaims as she shoves him gently, but she’s also laughing. “Was she pissed?” 

“Hell yeah. She kicked us out that night, which really sucked because none of us had a car except Reggie and _he_ got to stay so Arch and I had to hike it back to his place and it was freezing.” 

“Did you learn your lesson?”

“Absolutely not,” he laughs. 

“Wow. It’s kind of amazing that you’ve all been friends for so long.” 

“Yeah,” he agrees. “It is, isn’t it?” When he catches the somber look on her face, he nudges her with his elbow. “You know that Veronica loves you, right? I mean, she actually chewed me out for being friends with you.” 

“What?” 

“Yeah. I guess she got the wrong impression and thought I was trying to use my Hollywood ways to get you or something.” He shakes his head at the absurdity of it all but Betty just tilts her head. 

“Doesn’t she trust you?” 

“Sure, I guess. I think it’s hard to trust someone who hasn’t exactly been around lately. I think she’s like me; she’s trying to separate Hollywood Jughead from Riverdale Jughead.” 

“Aren’t they the same person? I mean, aren’t you just _you_?” 

Is he? He doesn’t know at this point. The longer he’s here in Riverdale, the farther away he feels from the person he is in California. Realistically he knows they’re the same person, but he can’t help but feel like he was playing a different role over there. 

“I think it’s a little more complicated than that.” 

Betty takes him by surprise when she laughs softly. “I think you’re making it more complicated than it needs to be. Sure, you might have been someone else in California but we all have different sides of ourselves that we choose to show to the world. I have a feeling that the Jughead here with me right now is the one you truly are.” He’s surprised once again when she reaches over and places her hand over his own. Her hand is warm and soft and small on top of his, but most of all it’s comforting in a way that he’s never felt before. He stares down at their hands before he looks up to her. 

She’s looking at him like she doesn’t think he’s a complete piece of shit; she’s looking at him like she can see right through him into his soul. He’s never cared much for eye color but he looks at Betty’s wide eyes that look like they understand him like they care about him, and he realizes that she has the most beautiful green eyes he’s ever seen. He feels like he could stare into them forever and happily get lost in them.

“You’re a good person, Jughead,” she says softly yet sternly. “You did some stuff that hurt people, that hurt _you_ , but you’re good. I knew that from the moment I first saw you.” He goes red at the reminder and she grips his hand tighter. “Stop trying to differentiate these parts of you and just accept that they’re all a part of you; they’re the good and the bad and they’re what makes you the person that you are. We all have good and bad in us, but we get to choose what we lean towards.” Their eyes are locked on each other in a staredown so intense that Jughead has to look away first. 

“You’re really good at that,” he says. “At talking people down.” 

“I had to do it for myself and then I had to do it for my students. It’s true, though.” 

He flips his hand over to cup hers and he finds himself smiling at how small and dainty her hand looks in his. He squeezes it tightly for a second and this time it’s Betty who looks surprised. 

“Thank you, Betty. Really. I’m not used to getting advice like that.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like you actually care about me.” 

She frowns. “Like I care? I _do_ care about you, Jughead. I know that we’ve only known each other for a short while, but somehow it feels like I’ve known you my whole life. Really, I’m glad that you tried to talk to me even after I turned you away.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” she says like it’s obvious. “Who else would I trick into doing all the heavy work here?” She gestures to the classroom and Jughead laughs. “Really though, I’m glad I know you.” 

“I’m glad I know you too.” 

Betty hops off of the desk and their hands finally separate. He wiggles his fingers a little bit and then cradles it against his lap. 

“Are you hungry?” She asks. “Because I’m starving. Have you tried that new bakery downtown? It’s mostly sweets, but they do make amazing muffins and danishes and I’m kind of craving that right now.” 

“That sounds great.” 

“Well, come on then! They close at five and I’m going to be very upset if you make me late.” 

Jughead just shakes his head and hops off the desk to follow her out of the classroom. Before they walk out, he turns around to admire their work a little longer. It’s something they did together; the first thing really and he can’t help but smile at it. 

And if he’s smiling because he’s also a little giddy at the idea of spending even more time with Betty, who was going to call him out on it?

.

.

.

 

Jughead lets out a loud and obnoxious moan and Betty kicks him underneath the table. 

“Stop it!” She laughs. “People are going to start thinking you’re doing something gross with that muffin.” 

“God, I wish.” 

Betty actually snorts into her teacup and begins coughing when some of that tea goes up her nose. Jughead looks at her in mock disgust before laughing along with her. 

“Sorry, sorry! It’s just, this is really good. I wasn’t expecting it to be this good.” He looks down at his muffin like it was sent straight from heaven. 

“I told you! This place opened up in the summer and I’ve been a loyal customer ever since. Starbucks really has nothing on this.” 

Jughead won’t disagree with that. He’s been to some pretty amazing bakeries back in California, but there’s something about this place that is just so much _more_. 

“Thank you for bringing me here.” 

Before she can say anything, a whirlwind of black hair passes by them before making an abrupt stop and running back towards their table. 

“Oh, my God!” A shrill voice shrieks and Jughead is thankful that this place is nearly dead. “You’re Jughead Jones!” 

He glances over at Betty in embarrassment, but she just looks amused if not just a tiny bit startled. She doesn’t look put off though and he’s thankful for that. 

“Uh,” he drags out. “Yes, that’s me. Hi.” 

“I saw the news about you being home.” He doesn’t really understand why that’s considered news, but he gets it, he guesses. “Oh, this is so cool! I love you. I mean, I’m such a huge fan.” 

“Well, thank you.” The girl is looking at him like he’s a God and he’s starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t have to ponder for much longer though, because the girl glances over at Betty like she’s just realized he isn’t alone and then her eyes widen even more than they were before. It’s almost creepy. 

“Holy shit,” she exclaims. “You’re the girl from the picture!” 

He silently prays for someone to wake him up from this nightmare. 

“No, no,” he says quickly, not wanting to have that kind of attention on Betty, but the girl is quicker, and louder, than him. 

“You’re so pretty! Wow.” 

“Thank you,” Betty says, trying her hardest not to laugh. 

“We were just leaving,” Jughead says before this situation can get any fucking messier. “Would you like a picture?” 

“Oh, my God,” the girl says, looking near tears. “Would that be okay?” 

“Of course.” He gets up from the booth and the girl is quick to hand her phone over to Betty. 

“Do you mind?” She asks. 

“Of course not.” Betty grabs the phone and takes a couple of pictures before handing it back over to the girl. 

“Thank you so much! Really. I’m sorry, I’ll let you go now. Bye!” She runs off and Betty and Jughead share a look of bewilderment. 

“That was weird,” Betty whispers as they get up from the booth. 

“ _That_ was tame.” 

He makes sure they’re in the car before he runs a hand over his face. “I’m sorry about that, Betty.” 

“When are you going to stop apologizing? Really. It doesn’t bother me. It’s kind of funny. Besides, who cares if a girl saw us getting muffins together? It’s not like we were doing anything wrong.” 

He doesn’t tell her that in Hollywood, that is considered wrong. 

.

.

.

**@AnnaBear: GUESS WHO MET JUGHEAD FUCKING JONES TODAY AND GOT A PICTURE**

**@BethanyGreer: @AnnaBear I’m so mad I had to babysit and couldn’t go with you. Please send me thoughts and prayers during this very sad time.**

**@Rainer1: @AnnaBear was this in riverdale?????**

**@AnnaBear: @Rainer1 yes!**

**@HopelessLover: @AnnaBear was he alone??**

**@AnnaBear: @HopelessLover no!! He was with the girl from that picture! The one in the green dress. She’s SO GORGEOUS. I think they were on a date.**

**@Juggie: @AnnaBear did you get a pic of her?**

**@AnnaBear: This is the girl from the article the other night! I could only get a side profile pic of her.**

**@CharliesAnghells: @AnnaBear This is literally so disrespectful. Obviously he doesn’t want that business on the internet. People can have friends, Karen. Delete this and leave that poor girl alone. What the hell is wrong with you?**

**@PopCrave: @AnnaBear Hello, my name is Trinnie and I’m a writer for PopCrave! Would it be okay if we used this picture in an article?**

**@AnnaBear: @PopCrave dm me.**

**@PopCrave: Jughead Jones takes new girlfriend out on a date amidst breakup rumors with longtime girlfriend Jade Everton. Read all about their cute date here! **

.

.

.

Jughead’s watching Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire with Veronica and Archie when Veronica shares the good news. Her legs are spread out on Archie’s lap and he’s massaging her feet almost absentmindedly. 

“So I’m thinking of having a little party next weekend.” 

Archie’s fingers stop moving as he looks at his wife in confusion. “Didn’t we just have a party?” 

“Well, yeah, but that was for La Bonne Nuit! It was for the public. I want this to just be us friends. We could have it here and invite Cheryl, Toni, Reggie, and Betty.” Jughead’s ears perk up at the mention of Betty and he hopes that no one else notices it. “Just something small. We don’t even have to call it a party. We can just call it dinner and drinks.” 

“So basically a party,” Jughead says and Veronica winks at him. 

“Look, can’t a girl be happy that her best friend is back in town for the longish run? Let's call it a welcome home party!”

Jughead rolls his eyes and Archie snorts. 

“Sure, babe.” Archie gives in because of course he does. “If Jughead’s cool with it then fine.” 

Veronica looks over at him and he just shakes his head. 

“Okay, even if I said no, you’d still throw the party regardless.” 

“Definitely.” 

All three of them laugh at that. “Fine! Whatever. I’m not dressing up though.” 

“Ew, why would you dress up?” Veronica asks. “You can wear pajamas for all I care.” She hops up from the couch in excitement. “I’m going to go tell everyone!” 

When she’s gone, Archie shakes his head. 

“You think she’ll ever get sick of throwing parties?” 

“Definitely not,” Jughead says. “But at least she’s letting us wear pajamas to them now.” 

Archie nods. “So how was your day out, man? Were you with Betty the whole time?” 

“Yeah.” He doesn’t know how Archie feels about him being friends with her. Veronica’s obviously a little wary of the whole thing, but Archie’s never been one to get into Jughead’s business like that. “I helped her decorate her classroom and then we went out for a very, very late brunch.” 

“Brunch?” Archie laughs. “I think they call that dinner, Jug, but that’s good. I’m glad she has you and that you have her. You seem a lot happier these days.” 

Jughead hates that he blushes. He doesn’t know if that has to do with Betty, but he does have to admit that he’s easily in a better mood when he’s around her. She just has that kind of effect on him but he’s sure he’s not the only one that feels like that around her. 

“I think coming here was the right thing to do,” he says instead. “I just feel like the longer I’m here, the more I let go of all that anger and shit that I had rooted into me.” 

Archie smiles. “That’s good, Jug. Seriously. I’m just happy that you’re happy to be here. We really do love having you with us. Almost feels like old times.” 

“Definitely, especially the third wheeling part,” he jokes. 

“Pretty sure Veronica felt like she was the third wheel sometimes.” 

Jughead laughs, because it’s true. She used to whine so much about how Archie and Jughead were basically boyfriends and she’d gotten into a fight with Jughead once or twice for “trying to steal her man”. 

“Well, now I’m feeling left out. Can you rub my feet, Archiekins?” 

Archie glares at him. “Call me that again and I’ll break your feet.” 

“Ouch! That was mean, Archiekins.” 

Archie jumps off the couch and launches himself at Jughead. The other man is too busy laughing to even attempt to fight off Archie. He’s a wheezing mess as they begin to wrestle right there on the couch and Jughead’s a little peeved to find out that even though he’s gained weight and has actual muscles now, Archie can still somehow overpower him easily. It’s really not fair if you ask him. 

“Oh, my God!” Veronica groans when she finally comes back into the room to find Jughead in a headlock while trying to kick Archie blindly. “I swear, it’s like we’re still in high school! You two are so immature!” 

Jughead wheezes and Veronica sighs. 

“Archie, let go of him before you kill him!” 

Which honestly, _rude_. He is totally holding his own right now. 

“Babe, come on, I’ve almost got him to tap out!” 

“You don’t got shit, firecrotch,” Jughead wheezes out. He reaches out behind him and finds Archie’s hair and yanks on it hard. 

“Ow! Fuck, Jug! You fight like Veronica!” 

“Hey!” 

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m about to beat your ass!” 

“You just pulled my hair, asshole! Who does that?” 

They’re about to charge at each other again when Jughead’s phone starts ringing from the kitchen. They all halt because they’re adults now and a ringing phone means serious things. Jughead grins wickedly at Archie. 

“I won!” 

He takes off running before Archie can say anything else and when he gets to the kitchen, he’s in such a goodhearted mood that he doesn’t even bother to check his phone before answering it. 

“Hello?” 

“How is it that when you’re basically off the grid that you still manage to somehow end up in a scandal?” 

Jughead’s smile fades at the anger in Matt’s voice. 

“Matt?” 

“You were supposed to go to Riverdale to try and get some space from Hollywood, to clear your mind and reconnect with your past; not to get a goddamn blonde bimbo girlfriend.” 

Jughead’s confused for all of two seconds before it clicks, and then he’s just pissed. 

“First of all, don’t ever call any of my friends something like that again or I swear to God, I will fire you. I’m in charge here; _not you_.” Venom is dripping from his voice and he has to take a few calming breaths before he says something that he might regret. “Second of all, what the fuck are you talking about?” 

This time, Matt has the decency to lose the attitude. 

“The girl you took a photo with in that cafe place posted a picture of the mystery blonde from that article the other night. The article was one thing, it was annoying but it wasn’t serious, which is why I didn’t bother reaching out to you about it. This girl got a pretty good picture of whoever your friend is though. It’s just a side profile picture, but anyone who knows her will know who she is, and trust me, the internet is going crazy trying to figure out who she is. I don’t have to explain to you why this isn’t a good thing, Jughead.” 

And the anger is back just like that. It’s an anger that he hasn’t felt at all since he’s been here in Riverdale and the way it courses through his veins is like the embrace of a toxic old friend. 

“You fucking kidding me?” He seethes. “Fuck! God damn it. Have they named her yet?” 

“No. Cara’s working on keeping that out of the press, which is going well considering no one knows who she is and whoever does know her obviously isn’t interested in using her to make money which is good.” 

“Fuck!” He knew it was a bad idea to take Betty out so publicly but he hadn’t been thinking clearly at the time. He just wanted to be around her. She had said that she didn’t mind the attention that would come with knowing him, but he’s not sure that she knows just how ugly this can get. He doesn’t want her to have to know but if the internet is as obsessed with her as Matt claims, it’s only a matter of time. 

“Look, Jughead, I’m not trying to get after you, but people are already twisting this and saying she’s a secret girlfriend you cheated on Jade with. There’s a lot of rumors going around but that seems to be the most popular.” 

“But it’s not true!” 

“It doesn’t matter that it’s not true and you know that as well as I do. Just talk to your friend. Make sure that she’s okay with all this.” There’s a pause. “Is she a girlfriend? Do we need to polish this up before it gets nasty?” 

“She’s not a girlfriend,” he says calmly. “She’s just a friend, but I wouldn’t be mad if you did try to polish it up. She’s a good person.” 

“They always are. I gotta go, Jones, but are you doing okay over there?” 

If he had been asked that question just two weeks earlier, the answer would have been a hard no, but now? 

“I’m doing great, Matt. Really.” 

“Good. Enjoy this time off. I’ll talk to you soon.” 

The line goes dead before he can say anything back, which is typical for them. They don’t have a very close relationship. There’s respect and toleration but there’s no love or even friendship. He’s not sure if that should be seen as a good thing or not. It’s always worked for them though, so he’s never cared much to think about it. 

“Everything okay?” 

Archie and Veronica are standing in front of him looking worried and he already knows that they’ve been standing there for a while. 

“A fan took a picture of Betty when we were out today and the internet is going crazy trying to figure out who she is and I don’t know,” he runs his hand through his hair. “This shit gets ugly. I mean, you guys know that.” 

Veronica just makes a disgusted face but Archie suddenly looks insanely protective. 

“Jug, this is the last thing she needs. I think you know that.” 

He does know that and he immediately feels that shame that he gets when he knows he has the power to ruin someone’s life just because of the invasiveness that comes with being a part of his. 

“It’s not his fault,” Veronica defends. 

“I’m not saying that!” Archie looks at Jughead like he’s worried he might have offended him. “I’m not saying that, Jughead. I’m just saying that maybe you should really sit down and warn her about how bad this can get. We’re used to it, but we’ve been here since the beginning. It could be different for Betty and she’s been through too much. She doesn’t need her name dragged through the mud. She doesn’t need her past looked through.” 

Fuck. He hadn’t even thought of that. Betty’s past is a painful and dark one. It’s one that most people try to forget, or at least move to a part of their memory where it can’t hurt them. She doesn’t seem like the type of person who likes to talk about it. The times they have hung out, she makes sure to stray as far as she can from any and all topics regarding her marriage. She’s spoken of Daniel only fleetingly and when _she_ wanted to. The idea of the world digging into her past and bringing that up against her wishes makes him sick to his stomach. He can’t even begin to imagine how it would make Betty feel. 

“You’re right,” he says. “I’ll talk to her tomorrow.” 

“Good.” 

He nods, before an idea comes to mind. “Hey, you guy said that Reggie and her have lunch occasionally, right?” 

Archie and Veronica give him a weird look.

“Uh, yeah. Why?” 

“Think you can ask him what time her lunch break is?” 

Archie nods and walks off, probably to do just that, but Veronica lingers and stares at him with a look he can’t quite decipher. 

“What?” He asks after a few seconds. 

“Nothing. It’s just… I think Betty is good for you. She’s a good friend to have.” 

Jughead stays quiet. He doesn’t know what to say to that. What _is_ there to say to that? 

“I think you could be good for her too,” Veronica adds. “So I’m sorry I kind of came at you and thought there were ulterior motives there.” 

“It’s okay. I mean, I probably would have thought the same thing.” 

“Maybe, but still. It’s like you said: you’re not a dick.” She grins. “Well, not really at least.” 

“Shut up,” he laughs. 

He’s not sure how Betty will take this news but he hopes that she doesn’t decide that being in his life is too much. It wouldn’t be the first time he’s had to go through something like that, but for some reason the idea of Betty walking out of his life already has him feeling anxious and even a little worried. 

He doesn’t know what it is about her, but he’s somehow already become attached to Betty Cooper. The need to protect her from the world and shield her from the nightmare that can be the press and prying fans is strong, but stronger than that is the need for her to just stay in his life. 

He pours himself a glass of Veronica’s expensive red wine as he tries not to think about why that is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) tell me what you think! the next chapter won't take so long to write, i promise. 
> 
> as always, find me on tumblr @ joaquin-desantos ((i promise i'll stop changing my url one of these days.))


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for anyone who still cares about this story... 
> 
> merry christmas and i’m sorry i suck.

He finds out from Archie, who finds out from a very confused Reggie that Betty’s favorite place to eat here in Riverdale is a Chinese restaurant downtown. Jughead makes sure that he’s there by 11:30 so he has enough time to order the food and be back at the elementary school by 12:30, which is when Betty has her lunch. 

He has to sign in through the front office since there are students actually attending class right now and he tries to ignore the way the pretty, young receptionist is eyeing him. She’s well aware of who he is and she makes it obvious by the way she all but purrs out his name before he even introduces himself. 

“Are you visiting someone?” 

It’s an obvious question with an obvious answer. It’s not like he hangs around elementary schools for the hell of it. 

“I am,” he says politely. “Betty Cooper.” 

Her eyes widen momentarily, but he makes sure to school his expression into a neutral one. He doesn’t know this woman but for some reason he gets the idea that she might like her gossip a little too much. 

“Sign right here,” she says as she points to a sheet on a clipboard. He does as asked and then she hands him a little nametag that she’s already filled out. “Do you know where you’re going?” 

“Yes, thank you.” 

He turns and walks out of the office before she can say anything else to him. The school seems different now that it’s a weekday. He can hear children laughing in classrooms and teachers talking about their lessons. He walks past the gym and he can hear the sound of basketballs hitting the floor and a coach’s whistle blowing loudly. He feels like he’s a kid again and Mrs. Malcom is going to turn the corner and yell at him and Archie for running in the halls. He feels like a younger and meaner Reggie is about to sneak up behind him and give him a noogie. 

Instead, when he turns the corner he sees a sight that stops him in his tracks. 

Betty’s classroom door is wide open and she’s swaying side to side as she cleans off her dry erase board. She’s wearing a grey checkered overall dress over a black turtleneck and her hair is down, moving along with her movements. He can’t hear what’s playing, but he doesn’t need to. There’s a smile on her face and a light happiness to her that has him feeling like he’s listening to his favorite song. 

She’s beautiful. She’s beautiful in a simple yet extraordinary way. She’s beautiful in a way that makes him want to stop and stare at her for hours. It hits him suddenly that he looks at her like he’s never looked at anyone else before. It’s not lust running through his veins; it’s a pure adoration. The realization hits him with a force that makes him physically take a step back. 

Betty Cooper is gorgeous and he wants to walk across the room and tell her that. He wants to walk into that room and do something stupid like---. No. No, he can’t even think that. 

He can’t like Betty. He can’t. She’s way too good for someone like him and he would only hurt her. She’s had enough hurt in her life and Jughead refuses to add to any of that. Hell, even just being his friend is enough to ruin her life. He can’t like Betty, he just _can’t_. He takes another step back and considers turning around and running away from here when, like she can sense his inner turmoil, she turns her head to the right and sees him. 

It’s amazing the way her face lights up as soon as she locks eyes with him. He’s seen her smile, sure, but never like this. It’s enough to make all the anxiety he’d just been feeling disappear. 

“Jughead! Hey!” She walks over to the doorway. “Were you just planning on staring at me all day?” She’s joking obviously, so he doesn’t tell her how much he would like to do that. 

“No,” he says. “Sorry. I brought you food.” He lifts up the large brown bag and Betty’s smile grows, if that’s even possible. 

“Oh, my gosh! You didn’t have to do that, but I’m really glad that you did. I didn’t bring anything today and I’m starving. Do you want to come in?” He follows her into the room, still a little dazed. She pulls a small stool from a table and puts it in front of her desk. “I hope you don’t mind, that’s really the only place I have to sit.” 

“I don’t mind.” He places the Chinese food onto her desk and she peers inside of the bag, smiling once she sees the contents. 

“Sweet and sour chicken! How did you know?” 

He didn’t. It’s his favorite though and he figures you really can’t go wrong with it. He’s glad to see that he’d been right. 

“Mind reader. It’s one of my many talents.” 

“Oh yeah? What am I thinking right now?” 

She sits down across from him and places her chin into her hand, tilting her head just a little as she smiles at him mischievously. He would pay real money to know what she’s actually thinking, but as it is, he just hums in thought as he looks over her. 

“You’re thinking that you’re very lucky to have such a sweet and thoughtful friend who brings you food whenever you forget yours.” 

She’s snorts as she takes a bite of an eggroll. “Not exactly right, but not exactly wrong.” 

“I’m a little rusty. I did come over here to talk to you about something though.” She looks at him and waits patiently. He doesn’t understand why he’s so nervous right now. “Remember the girl from the cafe that we went to? The one who stopped to talk to us?” She nods slowly. “Well, she took a picture of you.” Betty’s eyes widen and she pulls the eggroll away from her mouth. For once, she looks troubled about all of this. “It wasn’t a very good picture. I don’t think she wanted to make it obvious, so for anyone who doesn’t know you, they wouldn’t be able to make out your face. But it’s on the internet because she posted it and now people think I cheated on my ex with you.” 

Betty’s still sitting frozen and she looks absolutely horrified. Jughead feels like he’s about to pass out. 

“But,” she says quietly, “that’s not true. I don’t…. I would never do something like that. I would never…” she trails off, eyes still wide and confused. “I didn’t even know you.” 

“I know, Betty, but people believe what they want to believe. They want drama and they’ll make it even when there’s nothing there.” He clears his throat. “I am so sorry, Betty, really I am. I didn’t think about how this could backfire on you. I’m not used to it. The only other people I’m friends with that aren’t famous are Archie, Cheryl, Toni, and Reggie.” He doesn’t mention Veronica, because she’s _kind of_ famous, or infamous at least. People know her name, which is enough for her to not land on the list with everyone else. “And I’ve been friends with them for so long that they’re pretty much used to this and the public knows them, but you’re new. They’re going to tear you apart.” 

Betty gulps and Jughead can actually hear it from where he sits across from her. 

“I understand if this is too much for you. I know that I’m not the easiest person to be friends with and I know that you didn’t sign up for this. If you need me to back off, I will. It’s that easy.” It’s not that easy. Distancing himself from Betty would be incredibly hard and he knows it. As it is, he’s already seen her for three days in a row and yet it still doesn’t seem like enough. But he would do it, if she says it’s what she wants. 

“I’m sorry,” she says after a moment, blinking rapidly like she’s trying to clear her vision. 

“Don’t be,” he says, cutting her off as he stands up. He really doesn’t want to hear her say that she can’t be friends with him anymore. He’d rather just walk away right now with his tail between his legs. At least then he wouldn’t do something stupid like beg her to still be friends with him. “I get it, okay? I uh, I’ll just go. You can keep the food though, please. And uh, I’ll… I’ll see you around.” 

He turns around to walk out but then Betty’s jumping up from her seat as she moves around the desk to reach out and grab Jughead’s hand. She yanks him back, a little too forcefully, and when he turns to look at her she’s looking at him like he’s lost his mind. 

“What? No! That’s not what I meant.” She shakes her head. “I meant sorry, as in I didn’t know what to say. I don’t know. I’m at a loss for words here, because this isn’t exactly something I ever thought I would have to face in life. I don’t want to stop being your friend though, Jug. I don’t want to lose you.” She laces her fingers through his and he wonders if she’s even aware of it. He is. His entire body is on fire as she runs her thumb over his lightly. “But I can’t say that I’m comfortable with having my picture all over the internet.” 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers as he bows his head. He looks at their joined hands. “I can try my best to hide you from them. I can…” Before he can think of anything, his phone starts ringing loudly. He gives her an apologetic look, but it’s not until he pulls his hand away from hers that she actually frowns. 

He looks at his phone and winces when he sees Jade’s name. He’d somehow forgotten about her during all of this, or he’d at least forgotten that this would be something she’d probably be upset over. He doesn’t know how else to tell her he’s done with her. 

“Jade,” he answers, seething. Betty’s head snaps up at the name and her face goes red like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “What do you want?” He’s expecting to be met with screaming and anger. He is not at all expecting to hear her let out a loud sob, causing him to frown. “Hey, Jade. What’s wrong?” For all that she’s a raging bitch sometimes, Jughead still doesn’t want to see her hurt. 

“Is it true?” She chokes out. He’s never heard her cry, not like this, not because of _him_ and he feels something like ice cold regret fall over him. “I know that what we had was never what I wanted it to be, or what you wanted, but… Did you cheat on me, Jughead?” She sounds so small and so unlike anything he’s ever associated her with. “I deserve to know at least that much.” 

For some reason, he thinks back to their first date. It had been after their PR stunt had started. They had gone on dates by then, tons of them, but this was the first one when they decided that their feelings weren’t all that fake. Jughead had taken her to some really fancy restaurant that a fellow actor, Fangs Fogarty, had told him about. He didn’t know what half the items on the menu were and he didn’t know how to pronounce any of the wines. He’d felt so out of place and suffocated. Jade had noticed right away and had smiled at him and asked if he wanted to go somewhere else instead. He’d said yes and she had taken him to a little taco stand in West Hollywood. They had laughed and walked around in their large winter coats. It had been one of the first times that he had felt at home in California. For whatever Jade had turned into, she isn’t a bad person. And he can’t hurt her. Not like this. 

“No,” he says softly. “I never cheated on you, Jade. And the truth isn’t exactly what the articles are making it out to be.” 

Jade lets out another sob but this time it doesn’t sound nearly as devastated. 

“I’m sorry,” she says after a while. “I know I’ve been acting like a crazy person and you don’t deserve that. Our breakup wasn’t bad and I was never mad at you. I didn’t even actually want you back. No offense, babe, but you were a _really_ bad boyfriend.” They both laugh at that. “But you were -- _are_ \-- a really good person. So I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize, Jade. It’s okay.” 

“I think I just wanted to be in love the way everyone else is, and I wanted that person to be you. Because when you find the person that you fall irrevocably in love with; the one who’s going to make you want to be the best boyfriend in the world, they’re going to be so incredibly lucky.” 

Jughead smiles softly. “You’re going to find someone who’s going to love you with their whole heart one day, Jade. And he’s gonna be the lucky one.” 

“I think this is the nicest we’ve been to each other in a year.” 

Jughead laughs. “Yeah. Feels kind of good though, doesn’t it?” 

“Yeah. It does.” 

He looks up at Betty and she’s watching him with a look that he can’t really decipher. 

“Hey, Jade, I was kind of in the middle of something. Is it okay if I call you back?” 

“You don’t need to do that, Jughead. I think we can leave this here.” 

“We probably could, but I think we were always better as friends weren’t we?” 

She snorts. “Okay. Friends it is. And Jughead?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Your mystery girl; keep her safe. This life isn’t for everyone. You deserve to be happy. Don’t let Hollywood ruin this for you.” Her voice is so sincere and he wonders if this is what she’s like for the rest of the world; if this is what she’s like when she isn’t fighting to make a dead thing live. He can see why America loves her. 

“Thanks, Jade. I’ll talk to you soon.” The line goes dead and he drops the phone back in his pocket. “I’m sorry about that, Betty. She saw the article and I guess it upset her.” 

She plays with her fingers and keeps her eyes off of his. “It um, sounded like you guys worked things out.” 

“Yeah, I think we did.” He takes a step towards her and, against his better judgement or maybe because of it, he reaches out and grabs her hand again. She seems startled, but she doesn’t tear away from him. “Look, Betty, there are ways to cover this up; to get the attention off of you. I care about you, a lot, and I’ll protect you, okay? I’m not going to let this hurt you.” 

She looks confused for a moment before the realization dawns on her. “They can figure out my past, right? About my marriage? About.... Daniel.” 

He nods solemnly. “People can dig and find even the darkest and most well kept secrets. I’ll do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen, but I can’t promise you anything.” 

Betty looks down at their hands and then back up at him. “It’s not a dark secret. It’s a part of me.”

“It’s not a part you need to share with the rest of the world, though.” 

“Why do you care so much?” She asks and she looks genuinely confused. “I don’t understand. I’m not some Hollywood girl. I’m nothing special. I’m just some broken girl who isn’t worth all this. I mean, maybe I’m the one who should be backing off here.” 

His face crinkles up in confusion. What the actual fuck just happened to make her start talking like this? 

“Betty, I don’t give a shit about Hollywood starlets. I give a shit about _you_. I protect the people I care about and you’re one of those people now. I think you’re worth a hell of a lot.” 

She gives him a little half smile, but it doesn’t really meet her eyes. “I’m sorry. I guess I just don’t really know how to handle this.” 

“Don’t apologize for that. You never need to apologize. This lifestyle is kind of crazy and it can be really overwhelming sometimes. It’s okay to be a little freaked out by it.” She nods, but she has that far away look on her face that Jughead hasn’t seen in a while. “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Betty?” 

“I know that I’m sure about wanting you in my life.” And she says the words with such sincerity that he knows they’re true. He tries to ignore the way that makes his heart feel. “I guess it’s just everything else that kind of freaks me out a little bit, but I can get over that. Eventually.” 

He smiles and runs his thumb over hers softly. “And I’ll be here to help you with that. I promise you, Betty, I wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.” 

She finally smiles back at him. “Is it completely crazy that I believe you?” 

“No, because I mean it. I’ll buy Twitter if I have to. Then no one will be able to tweet about you without me terminating their account.” 

Betty laughs loudly at that. “Isn’t Twitter worth like… thirty billion?” 

“More or less. I’ll rob a bank.” 

Their laughter carries throughout the room and she’s smiling at him so beautifully that he allows his mind to wander just a little bit. For a split second, he thinks about what it would be like if he were to take her face into his hands and kiss her softly. He wonders what it would be like to whisper these promises against her lips. 

Then the moment is gone. He shakes his head and pushes those thoughts towards the back of his head and forces them to stay there. 

Betty looks up at him and her green eyes are glistening and she looks so radiant that he wonders how he missed it, or if he made himself believe that he did. 

_It doesn’t matter_ , he thinks to himself. _She deserves better than me._

So he forces those feelings and those thoughts away and smiles back at her, hoping that it looks even the littlest bit sincere. 

.

.

.

The weekend comes quicker than expected. Jughead hadn’t spent the past week doing anything productive. He’d went on another lunch date with Betty and he helped Archie out at the construction site on Wednesday. He offered to help Veronica at La Bonne Nuit but then he set her kitchen on fire and she banned him immediately. He’s feeling bored and even a little restless, so when Saturday evening rolls around and Cheryl and Toni show up for their get together, he’s more than a little excited. 

“Remember the days when we used to be fashionably late to everything?” Cheryl says to her girlfriend as they gather in the kitchen. “Now we’re old and arrive so early.” 

“I hardly think twenty-five is old, babe.” 

“Speak for yourself,” Reggie says as he makes his way into the room. Jughead hadn’t even heard him pull up. “The day I turned twenty-two was the day I knew my life was over.” 

“You’re so dramatic.” 

“Says you!” Reggie whines to Jughead. “You’re living it up in Hollywood and your botox makes you look like a teenager.” 

Jughead chokes on his drink and Cheryl and Toni howl with laughter. 

“Fuck you!” He snaps, coughing as he tries to remember how to breathe properly. “I do not get botox! It’s not my fault I have really good genes.” 

“It’s fucked up, man.” Reggie shakes his head. “Someone tell me I’m still beautiful.” 

“Alexa, play Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey.” 

Everyone laughs at Veronica’s joke as her and Archie make their way to the island in the center of the room. The doorbell rings and Veronica smiles. 

“Oh! That must be Betty.” 

“I’ll let her in.” Everyone looks at Jughead questioningly and he just smiles before letting out a little laugh. “I uh, I want to make myself useful.” 

“Uh huh,” Cheryl says, as she passes a glance towards Toni. “Okay.” 

He’s almost positive that they can see right through his bullshit, but he doesn’t wait around for anyone else to say anything. He takes off towards the front door and smiles as he opens it, but the smile falls slowly as he takes in the sight in front of him. 

The thing is, he’s been around what people would call the most beautiful women in the world. He’s done charity events with Angelina Jolie. He’s worked alongside Nicole Kidman. Hell, he’s friends with Miss Universe. So he knows beauty, he’s seen it up close and personal. Yet nothing could have prepared him for Betty Cooper. 

She looks ethereal under the pale moonlight and Jughead now knows that there’s a difference between beautiful and Betty, because she is so much _more_. He looks at her and, like a badly written romance, he feels like he can’t breathe. He feels like a teenager all over again as his heart pounds and a feeling of euphoria washes over him just from _looking_ at her. 

“Hi,” he says softly. “You look beautiful.” 

She smiles and looks down for a moment, her blonde hair falling around her in waves. When she looks back up, her cheeks are pink. 

“Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself, you know.” She reaches out and tugs on his green sweater. “This color looks nice on you.” 

“It’s my favorite.” _It reminds me of your eyes._

Betty just nods. “Is everyone already here?” 

“Yup. You are fashionably late, my dear, which is kind of funny considering you live next door.” 

“Well, are you going to make me wait out here all night and be even more late?” 

Jughead’s eyes widen as Betty laughs. 

“Oh, my God! Yeah, come in. Sorry about that.” He moves out of the way and she’s still laughing as she walks past him. He wants to say something, he doesn’t know what, but he doesn’t get a chance because Veronica comes walking towards them before he can even open his mouth. 

“Betty! Hey, girl. I was starting to think you bailed.” She brings Betty in for a hug. 

“Oh, no,” the blonde says once Veronica lets her go. “My parents decided to have a surprise FaceTime call or else I would have been here earlier.” 

“You’re right on time,” Veronica tells her as she leads her into the living room. Jughead can’t lie, he’s a little annoyed that she had to come and steal Betty’s attention, but he gets it. That’s her best friend after all. 

Everyone greets Betty as the three of them walk into the room, but it’s Reggie who walks up to her and wraps his arms around her for a hug. And sure, Jughead’s fully aware of the fact that Reggie’s a pretty touchy guy in general, but that doesn’t stop the jealousy that rises up in him. 

“Hey, Reg,” Betty laughs. 

“I missed you.” 

“You just saw me a few hours ago,” she says, amused, and Jughead can’t stop the frown that graces his face. 

_Stop_ , his mind bites at him. Seriously, what is he thinking? Reggie is one of his oldest friends and he’s obviously a good friend of Betty’s. Besides, Jughead and Betty are just friends. He has absolutely no reason to be feeling this way right now. And yet he can’t help it. 

“Well the party can officially begin now,” Reggie cheers as he pulls away from Betty. He keeps an arm wrapped around her shoulders though and she doesn’t seem to be in a rush to move it. Jughead wonders if maybe Archie had been wrong before. Was there a chance that Betty did return Reggie’s feelings? 

“It’s not a party,” Veronica says with an eye roll. “Seriously. This isn’t college anymore! It’s a nice little get together because we are mature adults.” 

“Sure, babe. There’s alcohol, it’s definitely a party.” Jughead casts a look at Betty to see what she thinks of Reggie’s words, but she’s just smiling up at him, obviously unbothered. “Only thing that’s missing is Cheryl dancing on top of a table in her bra.” 

“Oh, my God,” the redhead groans as Toni barks out a laugh. “That was _one_ time!” 

“You were so drunk that you tried setting up Veronica and Archie.” 

“She had a nice pitch,” Archie speaks up. “If we hadn’t been dating already, I think I would have been sold.” 

“You’re welcome,” Cheryl tells him like she had anything to do at all with getting them together and Jughead laughs at the look on her face. “I don’t know why anyone’s laughing at me! Archie once got so drunk that he tried breaking into the county jail because he thought they kidnapped Reggie.” 

Everyone howls with laughter. Jughead remembers that actually. It had been their senior year of high school and Sheriff Keller had nearly had them all arrested for their dumbass actions that night. 

“Okay, what is this? Everyone talk about their most embarrassing drunk moments?” 

“Yes!” Cheryl squeals. “I love making fun of you guys.” 

“Do you guys remember when Reggie went streaking down Main Street and Principal Weatherbee nearly hit him with his car?” Toni says, sounding way too excited. “I’m pretty sure he let you get away with all your absences just because he just wanted you to graduate, so he’d never have to see you again.” 

“Or how about when you almost made out with that weird bitch?” Reggie says before turning towards Cheryl. “What was her name? It was something funky.” 

“I don’t know how you can call anyone’s name funky when we’re literally friends with a guy named Jughead.” 

“Hey!” 

“Sorry,” Toni says with a fake smile. “And her name was Evelyn Evernever and I didn’t almost kiss her!” 

“Yes, you did,” they all say in unison, because they _all_ remember the absolute hellfest that had been. Toni had gotten so drunk during an after party for their junior prom and mixed up the two redheads, which none of them ever understood because Cheryl and Evelyn looked absolutely nothing alike. Thankfully Veronica had seen what was happening and pulled Toni away before she could actually kiss her. Cheryl hadn’t been too forgiving for that one.

“Okay fine! But how about when Jughead got so wasted that he snuck onto old man Miller’s farm and _stole his horse_.” 

“You did _what_?” 

It’s the first time that Betty’s spoken up since they started this trail down memory lane and for a moment, Jughead’s worried that she’s put off by the memory, but when he looks at her he finds that she looks intrigued, if not a little shocked. 

“I didn’t steal his horse,” he defends. “I took her out for a little walk and then I returned her bright and early the next morning.” 

“And by that he means that old man Miller found him asleep in the horse’s stable,” Cheryl tells her. “He had to clean out the stables for a month just so Miller wouldn't press charges.”

Jughead winces. Sure, it’s a funny story to tell now but nothing about it had been funny at the time. Sometimes he swears he can still smell the stables. It’s haunting. 

“It’s funny how we’re all forgetting the best one,” Reggie says. “Veronica Lodge’s face all over the tabloids for punching out an A-List celebrity during the Oscar after party.” 

“Oh, my God!” Veronica screeches. “Can we let that die already?” 

“It was all anyone talked about at school for like months!” Reggie tells Betty and Jughead watches their interaction. She seems comfortable with him and despite knowing better, Jughead has an urge to walk over to them and sit in between them. 

“You guys were in high school when this stuff happened?” Betty asks, intrigued. 

“What?” Cheryl jokes. “You’re telling me you didn’t have some kind of record by the time you turned eighteen?” 

Betty hums. “I think the most trouble I ever got into was when I accidentally took home the answers to my history final.” 

“How do you accidentally do that?” Archie asks. 

“I was a tutor and meant to grab the practice test.” 

“Okay, we’ll act like we believe that one.” 

Betty laughs. “I’m serious, Cheryl! I was mortified when they thought I cheated.” 

“Can I just say that it is so nice to finally have a pure and innocent soul in our group of heathens?” Veronica jokes. 

And that’s how they spend the next hour; laughing and joking with each other and recalling old stories that Jughead would honestly like to forget about. The night is going great until they’re sitting around Archie and Veronica’s living room a few hours later once they’ve finished eating. 

“Okay,” Reggie says and Jughead already knows that he isn’t about to say anything good. “Jones, I’ve kept quiet long enough, but can you _please_ give us some insight as to what it’s like to be dating Jade Everton? I’m pretty sure I’ve had a crush on that girl since middle school.” 

“What girl don’t you have a crush on?” Veronica deadpans, but she glances over to Jughead and raises an eyebrow at him like she’s silently asking if he’s okay with the question. He’s not sure that he is, but Reggie’s his friend and he’s so sick of lying to his friends. 

“Okay, but this is different! It’s Jade fucking Everton.” 

And Jughead, well, he really cannot take anymore of this. 

“It was a fake relationship,” he blurts out and everyone goes completely silent. 

Cheryl and Toni look baffled before Cheryl leans over to whisper something in her girlfriend’s ear that sounds a lot like “told ya”. Archie seems puzzled and Reggie looks like a damn fool with his jaw to the floor and eyes wide open. 

But it’s Betty that he’s looking at right now. 

Her face is curled up into something that he can’t describe at all. She doesn’t look like she’s disgusted with him, which is nice, but she does look a little put off and he can’t really blame her. 

“I don’t understand,” Archie says and Jughead’s glad to see that Veronica had kept their conversation between just the two of them. 

“It started out as a PR relationship,” he admits, face going red. “It got real towards the end, but it really wasn't anything serious.”

“Dude.” Reggie says after a few moments of silence passes. “Does this mean that metaphorically, if you introduced us and I dated her, you wouldn’t get mad?” 

Cheryl snorts. “You don’t have a chance in hell, bud.” 

Jughead just laughs and shakes his head in exasperation, but he’s secretly glad that, while everyone seems shocked, they don’t seem like they’re judging him. He’s also thankful that they seem to understand that he doesn’t want to go into details right now. 

“Okay let’s stop bothering Jughead with stupid questions,” Veronica speaks up. “Reg, can you come help me make some drinks?” 

He does as asked and Jughead doesn’t hesitate before getting up from his seat to walk over to Betty. 

“Hey,” he says like a fucking idiot. 

“Hi.” She crosses her legs and he tries his hardest not to look down at them. She’s wearing a skirt and he’s starting to find that her legs might be the eighth wonder of the world. They’re beautiful and he’s never thought about that body part like that before. It makes him feel a little weird. “Pretty interesting things were admitted tonight, don’t you think?” 

He winces. “Betty, I—.” 

“I’m joking, Jug.” His heart jumps at the use of his nickname, but she doesn’t seem to notice that she’s used it at all. “I can’t say I’m not surprised, though. Especially after that phone call the other day. It sounded like you two were pretty serious.” 

He shrugs. “I wouldn’t say serious, but she saw the article about us and was kind of distraught at the idea of me cheating on her. We talked it out, though. I think we’re actually going to try being friends.” 

“Well that’s good,” she says with a smile. “She seems like a nice person.” 

He hums. Jade is a nice person, that’s the thing. She had been incredibly nice _until_ they actually started dating each other. It was like she was pushing and pushing for everything between them to be perfect and Jughead couldn’t handle it. They were doomed from the start as a romantic couple. He’s just happy that there isn’t any bad blood between the two of them, and now they can both move on. 

“Hey,” he says suddenly, “do you wanna get some air with me?” It’s a pretty night out. It’s not freezing for once and it’s just warm enough that they can talk a walk without catching a cold. “I think Reggie’s drinks are starting to get to me.” 

“You had like, one,” Betty tells him with a smile. “Some air would be nice, though.” 

Jughead grins as he stands up. He holds a hand out for Betty and she doesn’t hesitate as she grabs it. Their fingers don’t intertwine, but he cradled her palm in his own like it’s the most precious thing. He doesn’t let go once she gets up and she doesn’t try to pull it out of his grasp. He tries not to think too much about what that could mean. Just because he’s suddenly realized that he has a crush on her like some kind of schoolboy doesn’t mean that she feels the same at all. 

He leads her past Cheryl and Toni, who watch him with interest, and out towards the backyard. 

Archie had built Veronica a damn gazebo of all things and he’s never been so glad for their cheesy romance love, because it’s the perfect spot for him and Betty to just get away from everyone for a moment. 

“I’m really glad you came tonight,” Jughead tells her as they make their way down the stone path. 

“Me too. I wouldn’t miss it, Veronica would have my head.” Jughead laughs at the joke, but it sounds a little fake even to his own ears. Like Betty can read his thoughts, she squeezes his hand a little before turning to him and dropping it. “And I happen to enjoy the company around her.” 

And Jughead, because he’s the biggest fucking idiot on planet Earth says, “Oh yeah? Like Reggie?” 

It’s meant to be a teasing joke, but it comes off as anything but. Betty stops in her tracks as she frowns at his words. 

“What does that mean?” 

“Nevermind,” he says as he shakes his head. “I don’t know why I said that.” 

“Jug…” 

He sighs. “It was a joke, because I’m pretty sure that the guy has a big crush on you.” _Just like I do_. He tries to play it off cool. Reggie’s actually a good friend of his and he isn’t trying to throw him under the bus here, despite his annoyance at said crush. 

“Oh,” she says. “Yeah, I know.” 

“You know?” 

She nods. “He’s not very subtle, is he? He also admitted it to me once.” 

“Oh.” He glances at the floor before he looks back up at her. He has no right to ask, but it’s like he _needs_ to know. He knows that this crush on her is probably pointless and there’s no way that she could ever even return it, and he’s honestly not even sure if he really wants her to, but still. He needs to know. “Is the crush returned?” 

Betty looks startled at the audacity of the question before she hums. 

“I think Reggie and I want two very different things in life.” 

“Oh?” 

She nods. “I love Reggie, don’t get me wrong. He’s an amazing friend and he’s been so helpful and kind, but… he’s a bachelor. He’s wild and carefree and he _should_ be. But his idea of a date would be to go to a club. That’s not me. That’s never been me, but especially not now.” Her eyes soften and she looks away from Jughead. 

“I’ve been married, you know?” She says quietly. “If I’m going to date someone, it has to be someone I see a future with, someone I know I can see myself married to one day. I won’t settle for anything less than that.” 

He licks his lips. A question sits at the tip of his tongue. He wants to ask it, but he doesn’t. 

“So no clubs,” he jokes, trying to lighten the mood a little bit. It seems to work because she laughs before turning to look at him again. 

“No clubs.” She sniffles. “I don’t even know if I’m ready for that, you know? Dating. I haven’t… it’s just been me since Daniel died. I haven’t even looked at anyone else like that since I lost him.” She pauses and diverts her eyes from Jughead’s before she continues walking down the path, making him speed up a little so he can catch up with her. 

“Really?” He asks her. “No one?” 

“I have to be sure,” she says, instead of giving him a straight up answer. “I have to know for sure.” 

He frowns as they reach the gazebo and takes her hand again to whirl her around so that she’s facing him. Her hair whips around her face and a stray piece sticks to the light pink gloss on her lips. He reaches out for it and pulls it away, tucking it back behind her ear. 

“Know what for sure?” 

She blinks a few times, mouth slightly open as Jughead caresses her cheek with his thumb. A tiny voice in the back of his head is telling him to pull away, to drop this conversation, but he can’t. He doesn’t want to. His mind has been on overdrive for the past couple of days, consumed with thoughts of Betty, but now that he’s here with her they’ve all quieted down. All he can hear is the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind and the faint sound of the TV coming from inside of the house. All he can feel is Betty; her soft skin under his gentle touch, her warmth wrapping around him. She’s consumed every part of him in such a short period of time and he wants _more_.

“That they’re serious,” she whispers. “That it’s not a game.” 

His heart jumps at her words. Is there a chance for him? Is she saying what he thinks she’s saying or is he just reading too much into it right now? He opens his mouth, the question on the tip of his tongue. 

“Betty, I--.” 

“Hey, guys!” 

The moment breaks. The chaos of the world comes back to life around them. A car unlocks in the distance, sirens echo throughout the night. There’s the sound of a door being slammed shut somewhere, of someone laughing. The silence is gone and with it, their moment. He takes a step back from Betty to look over to the backyard door where Cheryl and Reggie stand. 

“Do you guys want cheesecake?” Cheryl asks. “Veronica found some in the freezer.” 

“Sure,” Betty calls back and then it’s just them again. 

Of course he got interrupted by cheesecake. 

“We should probably get back inside,” Betty tells him. “It’s a little cold out here.” 

Jughead nods and watches as she leads the way. For a split second, he feels lost. He feels like everything’s been ruined, like they’ll never get that moment back and he’ll never be able to find out if there is something there between them. 

And then Betty turns around, eyes shining at him as she holds out her hand for him, and when he takes it, he knows that this conversation isn’t finished. And whatever is happening between them isn’t diminished; it’s flourishing, slowly like a flower in the spring. 

He’s patient enough to wait until it’s in full bloom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all the lovely comments on the last chapter. :')) i was so sure people had forgotten this story so it made me soooo happy to see that wasn't the case! 
> 
> thank u to @peaceblessingspeyton for being such a lovely and helpful beta. <3 this chapter is more of a filler than anything else, but it does have big moments in it! 
> 
> enjoooooooooy!

Jughead sighs as he listens to Matt ramble on and on. They’ve been on the phone for about twenty minutes now and Jughead is ready to hang up. 

“I just don’t think that I want to be there right now,” he says for what feels like the hundredth time. “It’s just one movie premiere, right? Besides, I’m not even friends with anyone _in_ the movie.” 

“I don’t see how that matters, Jones. Look, you going out and getting your picture taken looking good and healthy on the red carpet could really help you right now. People will ask you some questions about what you’re up to and what’s next in your life. It’s a good way to keep people interested here.” 

He hums in thought. Realistically, he knows that Matt’s right, but the idea of going back to California right now doesn’t exactly sit well with him. He’s considered L.A. home for so long, and a few weeks before he would have been begging for the opportunity to go back, but not anymore. For some reason, he feels a little nervous at the idea of having to go back. But he also knows that he can’t hide out in Riverdale forever. 

“What did you say the movie was again?” 

“That new horror one. It’s expected to be really good too, so at least you won’t be bored.” 

Jughead rolls his eyes before a thought comes to his mind. “Hey, Matt. It’s alright if I bring a plus one to this thing, right?” 

“As long as you don’t cause a scene, you can bring whoever the hell you want.” 

.

.

.

It had been one thing to think about taking Betty to California for the movie premiere, but it’s another thing entirely to actually ask her. 

He’d asked Veronica what she thought about it and she seemed to think that it was a great idea. She told him that Betty doesn’t ever travel and she hasn’t seen much of the world, so going to Los Angeles would probably be fun for her. It also helps that now he’s aware of just how much she likes scary stuff. The movie, _Into The Dark_ , has countless articles already written about it with everyone seeming to be rooting for it. He wonders if Betty’s already aware of it. 

In his mind, he tries to picture how she would take the invitation. The optimistic part of him imagines her smiling happily and jumping into his arms at the idea of being able to spend the weekend with him in sunny California. The pessimistic side, the more realistic of the two, if he’s being honest, has a feeling that she’s going to think it’s weird. She wouldn’t exactly be wrong either. It _is_ weird. 

Sure, they’re friends and Jughead even feels like he’s known her his whole life, and then there’s the whole crush thing, but still. She might not feel the same way. Hell, she might hardly even see him as a friend, which is a horrifying thought all on its own. 

It’s a bad idea. It’s a horrible, horrible idea and he should get the hell off of her front porch before he does something he’ll regret and ruins everything. 

Instead, he rings the doorbell. 

His heart pounds against his chest as he waits for her to come to the door. It’s completely silent and dark inside and if it weren’t for the fact that her car is in the driveway, he would think that she isn’t home. 

After a lifetime of waiting, which was really only thirty seconds, the lock clicks out of place and the door opens slightly. 

Jughead immediately forgets what he was going to say. 

Betty’s eyes are bloodshot and puffy. Her lips and nose are rosy red and he knows right then and there that she’s been crying. His heart drops and despite the fact that he’s not the one who’s obviously been hurting, it feels like someone has kicked him right in his chest. 

“Jug,” she says, voice hoarse. “Hey, sorry I took so long to answer the door. I—.” 

“Are you okay?” He asks, cutting her off. “Betty, what happened?” He’s always had a protective streak in him and it’s going full flare right now at the idea of anyone hurting her. 

“Oh, nothing. I’m fine.” She smiles and it’s the fakest thing he’s ever seen and he’s an _actor_. “Do you want to come in?” She steps aside and Jughead nearly breaks down the door to get inside. Once she closes it, he hovers over her, cupping her face with his hands and looking over her for any signs of physical injuries. 

“Jug,” she whispers. 

“What’s wrong, Betty? And don’t lie to me.” He runs his hands down to her shoulders and then her arms. She closes her eyes as a tear falls from them slowly. “Please let me be here for you.” 

When she opens them again, there’s an emptiness in her eyes that he hasn’t seen in a while. It reminds him of when he’d seen her down by Sweetwater that one night. She’d looked almost like a ghost as she stared blankly ahead, voice completely emotionless. It’s terrifying and heartbreaking all at the same time. 

“It’s been three years,” she says softly as she looks down at her hands. “Um….” her voice breaks and she brings a hand up to her mouth and presses it hard against her lips as she closes her eyes. 

Jughead sees it, the exact moment that she loses that last thread that’s holding her together. Her hand falls from her lips and she lets out the loudest, heart shattering sob he has ever heard in his entire life. Her knees give out from under her and Jughead lunges forward to wrap his arms around her. She’s deadweight in his grasp and he slowly falls to his knees with her. 

She wails against his chest and he squeezes her tighter, like if he holds onto her as tight as he possibly can, then he can somehow take away all of her pain. 

“I’m sorry,” she sobs out to him and he doesn’t understand what she’s apologizing for. For crying on him? If so, she has nothing to apologize for. He’s about to tell her that when she speaks up again, this time a little more broken and a little softer. “Please don’t leave.”

“I’m here,” he tells her as he runs his hand through her tangled and oily hair. He wonders when the last time she showered was. He’s never seen her look this rough. “I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

But she doesn’t seem to understand that. She doesn’t seem to even really know that he’s there. It’s unsettling and he would do just about anything to make her realize that he _is_ here for her and that there isn’t anything she could do that would make him leave. 

He pulls away from her a little and she startles at the sudden lack of his arms around her. But then he reaches up and touches her cheek with one hand, using his other to grab ahold of her hand and place it onto his cheek softly; their actions mirroring each other. Her sobs quiet down as she looks at him like she’s _finally_ seeing him. 

Her hand is warm against his skin and she flexes her fingers a little bit before she runs them down his face gingerly. He makes sure to keep his eyes on her, so that she knows he’s really here with her in every way that he possibly can be. 

She looks at him and he can see how troubled and tired she looks. 

“Have you slept?” He asks her and she shakes her head once. “Okay. Can we get up? Is that okay?” 

She pauses for a second before she nods and then Jughead is helping her off the ground, keeping his arms around her and making sure that she’s close to him. 

“Can we go to your bathroom?” 

She doesn’t acknowledge the question. She just leads him towards her bedroom, which is all the way at the end of the hall. He can’t see much of the room, because it’s nearly pitch black dark inside, but he makes out her bed in the middle and a dresser and tv stand. It looks almost as empty as the rest of her house. 

She leads him into the bathroom and he turns on the light for them before guiding her to sit on a stool that she has placed in front of her sink. She lets him guide her and he’s thankful for it. He doesn’t know how he would explain what it is that he wants to do; he just knows that right now he wants to take care of her. 

He looks at her countertop, which is damn near pristine and nothing at all like his back in California, and grabs a pink brush that he sees. 

“Is this okay?” He asks her as he stands behind her and mimics brushing her hair. She nods and a tear falls from her eyes, but she doesn’t necessarily look sad. She looks… confused. 

Jughead reaches out for real this time and begins to brush her hair at the ends as softly as he can, trying to get out the tangles but not wanting to hurt her. 

“You’re very good at this,” she says after they’ve been sitting there in silence for awhile. 

He gives her a half smile. “When I was younger, I used to like to brush my mom’s hair.” He has to blink a few times to stop the tears that he knows will inevitably come. After all these years, the pain that she left behind when she left him hasn’t faded. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been; when he thinks of his mom, he’s suddenly that little boy again, scared and confused as he wonders why he wasn’t good enough for her. “Of course, I thought that meant hitting her head with the brush repeatedly.” Betty laughs, softly and only for a second, but it’s a laugh. “She taught me how you’re actually supposed to do it after suffering from one too many headaches.” 

“That sounds nice. My mom never let me brush her hair. She had to be perfect all of the time and I think she was worried I would ruin her image; even when it was just the two of us at home alone.” 

Jughead frowns. That sounds… horrible. Sure, his mom was a real piece of work and these days he’s not even sure if he loves or hates her more, but at least she’d been good to him when she was around. 

“You can brush my hair anytime you want,” he tells her, trying to pull her attention away from anything that could possibly sadden her. “It’s worth five hundred thousand dollars, though. So don’t be too rough.” 

It works. Betty’s eyes widen slightly as she looks at it in the mirror. “Is it really?” 

“No, but it is worth something.” Which he’ll never understand at all. 

“Okay, Regina George.” 

Jughead laughs at the joke, more so because he’s startled, because Betty is _joking_ with him now. “You know, I did meet Zac Efron once and he told me I was pretty.” 

Her jaw drops. “He did not.” 

“Okay, so maybe he said I was too much of a pretty boy that I was starting to take it away from him, but that’s not the point here.” Betty shakes her head in amusement and he grins at her. “Alright,” he says after a few more brushes, “I got it all. See? Good as new.” 

Betty looks at her reflection and the smile falls from her face a little as she’s brought back to the reality of her situation right now. 

“Thank you,” she says quietly anyway. 

“Don’t thank me, Betty. Not for this.” He moves in front of her and holds out a hand. “Come on, you should take a shower and get comfortable. Your jeans don’t look comfy in the slightest.” 

“Jughead Jones, are you trying to tell me I smell?” 

“Well…” She laughs loudly this time, head thrown back and she stands and places her hand into his. “You smell fine, Betty.” 

“Okay, sure.” She sniffles once before looking away from him. “Um, do you think you could stay? After my shower? You don’t have to, of course, but maybe we could rent a movie or something. I just really don’t want to be alone, but if you have plans--.”

“I was already planning on staying,” he admits. There’s no way in hell he would ever leave her alone after this; not even if she asked him to. “Do you want me to go pick something up to eat?” 

“No!” She says quickly then reddens. “I just… I’m sorry, I really do not want to be alone right now. Please.” 

He squeezes her hand and, against his better judgement, brings her into his chest as he wraps his arms around her. “Hey, of course. I’ll be here the whole time, I promise. I’ll order us something, okay? Pizza?” 

She lets out a sigh of relief into his chest and he almost hates how much he loves that he can feel her breathing against him. “Yes, that’s good.” 

“Okay, take a shower and I’ll go do that.”

Betty nods, face still in his chest, and it takes a few moments for her to finally pull away. 

Jughead gives her wrist a squeeze before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him. He leaves the bedroom and makes his way into the kitchen, pulling out his phone to call Dominos, when he realizes that he never asked her what toppings she likes. He thinks it over for a moment and then decides on a deluxe at the last possible moment. He also orders some cinnamon bread, because it’s always nice to have sweets when you’re feeling down. 

He’s scrolling through his social media twenty minutes later, trying to give himself something to do so he doesn’t worry as much, when the pizza finally comes. At first he’s a little surprised to see it get there so fast, but then he remembers that this is small Riverdale and not Los Angeles. It’s a nice luxury to have here, he has to admit. He doesn’t remember the last time that he didn’t have to wait at least an hour for pizza. 

When Betty gets out of the shower, she makes her way into her kitchen in just a fluffy pink bathrobe and slippers to match. Her hair is damp and strands stick to her neck and chest. She looks better though, if not just more comfortable. 

“What kind did you order?” She asks as she shuffles over to him. 

“Deluxe. I wasn’t sure what you liked, but it seemed like a safe option.” 

“It is-” She reaches out to the box and grabs a slice- “What kind of movie do you want to watch?” 

“It’s up to you. I don’t mind.” 

“Something scary? That’s really all I’ve been watching lately.” 

He remembers why he had even come here in the first place; to ask her about the premiere. He knows now isn’t the time, but he’s stuck wondering again if there’s a chance she’ll be interested at all. 

“Sure.” 

Ten minutes later they’re both sitting on Betty’s couch, pizza in their hands while House of Wax is playing. Jughead loves this movie and he’s ready to sit down and watch it like he hasn’t seen it a hundred times, but he can’t help but take notice of Betty. 

Her eyes are everywhere _but_ the TV screen. She hasn’t actually eaten her slice of pizza yet and she’s fidgeting a lot. It’s obvious that she isn’t comfortable right now but Jughead doesn’t know if he should say something or not. Maybe she wants to pretend, maybe she just wants him to shut up and be around her. Maybe—. 

“It wasn’t as bad this year,” she says quietly, interrupting his thoughts. “They say it gets easier and I never thought that could be true, but… it didn’t hurt as much this year. And I think that somehow made it even worse.” She looks down at her pizza slice and Jughead angles his body on the couch so he’s facing her more. 

“This might sound bad but it’s not even really my husband that I miss, you know? It’s my best friend. I miss the best friend things he would do.” 

“Like what?” Jughead asks, because she’s biting her lip like she wants to tell him more and God, does he want her to. He wants to know every single part of her and he never wants her to feel like she has to keep things from him; especially not this. 

“I have cold feet, like actually cold feet and he knew that so he would always let me put them under his thigh, even without me asking.” She looks down at her bare feet now, slippers disregarded on the floor, and wiggles her toes a little. “He was funny, like _really_ funny. When we were younger he used to do these comedy shows at this club back home. I miss laughing like that; so hard that I couldn’t breathe, that I would choke on my food or water. I used to laugh until I cried.” She picks a mushroom off the pizza. “I don’t do that anymore. I miss that.” 

Jughead swallows. He doesn’t know what to tell her. He’s never experienced a loss like this and as much as he wants to be able to make her feel better, he doesn’t know how. He feels useless. And stupid. He’s never going to be good enough for her. There’s a smile on her face right now as she talks about Daniel that he’s _never_ seen on her. It’s beautiful and it’s heartbreaking. He doesn’t know what to do. 

He wishes that he could take away all of her pain; that she never even had to feel this kind of pain to begin with. But that’s a selfish thought that he kicks away as soon as it enters his mind. He can’t change Betty’s past, but he can help her future. He wasn’t there before but he’s here now and he has the power to be able to take away some of the pain she feels, even if it’s just a small fraction. 

Without really thinking, he reaches out and covers her feet with his hand. Her toes _are_ freezing and it startles him for a moment, but then he curls his hand around them in hopes that he can warm them up even a little bit. 

Her eyes are wide as she stares at his hand in disbelief. For a moment he’s worried that maybe he’s done the exact opposite of what she wanted, but then she wiggles her toes and settles into the couch a little more. 

“I’m sorry,” he tells her because that’s really all he can say. “Why didn’t you say anything? You should have called me, Betty.” 

“I didn’t want to burden you,” she tells him sheepishly as she looks away. 

“Hey, no. Betty. Betty, look at me.” She listens to him immediately and brings her eyes back up to his. “I never want you to go through something like this alone again, okay? Let me be here for you. I _want_ to be here for you.” 

“You never have to be alone again,” he promises her, “As long as I’m here, I’m with you. Always.” 

Her eyes shine with unshed tears and he wants nothing more than to reach out and wipe them away. 

“Thank you,” she whispers before turning her attention to the movie for the first time. It seems like a dismissal to their conversation and Jughead knows when to take a hint, so he just nods and follows suit. 

Later, as his eyes are starting to feel heavy and his head bobbles every now and then as he fights to stay awake, Betty’s voice wraps itself around him. 

“Is it crazy that sometimes I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you?” 

The words are said so softly that he isn’t even sure she’s actually said them. He opens his eyes and looks at her, only to find that she’s now sleeping peacefully, feet in his lap and head cushioned against a pillow. 

He doesn’t tell her that he feels the same; that sometimes he feels like everything that’s happened to them, happened for a reason. Like sometimes he _does_ believe in fate and destiny and all that bullshit, because if there are things written in the stars, he can’t help but think that their names are written there together, slowly intertwining until one day they make a single constellation. 

He doesn’t say any of that, though. He simply closes his eyes again and lets sleep come to him. 

.

.

.

“Straighten it out!” 

“It. Is. Straight.” 

“Dude, can you see? It’s crooked. Straighten it!” 

“Oh, my God! It’s fine!” 

“I swear to God.” 

Jughead snaps his attention down towards Archie and glares at him, though he’s not even sure his best friend can see it from behind his sunglasses. 

He had offered to help Archie out on a site today because they were down one man, but now he was kind of starting to regret it. 

“This office is going to be a mess because of you.” 

“This office wouldn’t exist without me helping out!” 

“Maybe that’s for the best.” 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” 

Jughead angrily moves the stupid board further down until Archie shouts out that it’s good and then some guy comes and hammers it into place. He’s all too happy to walk away and let them do their job. He’s not cut out for this kind of hard work, really he’s not. 

“Maybe you should just watch from afar,” Archie tells him and Jughead flips him off, although there’s a smile playing at his lips.

“Look, be thankful I even came to help.” 

“Sure, thanks. Really.” He takes a sip of his water bottle and then turns towards Jughead again. “So what’s going on with that movie premiere? You still going this weekend?” 

Jughead shrugs. 

When he and Betty had woken up on her couch from her nap a few days ago, things hadn’t been as awkward as he might have imagined them to be. She had apologized for falling asleep and he made sure she knew it was okay. They had finished off their pizza and their conversation from earlier had been dropped. Betty had seemed in better spirits by the time that he had left that evening, but he still hadn’t thought to ask her. 

“I don’t even really want to go,” he says honestly. “I’m fine right here.” 

“Of course you are and we’re glad for it, but this isn’t your home anymore, Jug. You’ve made a life for yourself in California, you know? You have a career there. Don’t forget that.” It’s a stark contrast to what he might have said in the past and Jughead thinks it speaks volumes on how things have changed between them. “Besides, I know that you have to be getting bored here.” 

He snorts. “Well now that you mention it.” 

The truth it, he really isn’t getting bored here, which is kind of amazing when he stops to think about it. He isn’t in some kind of rush to get back to California anymore, but Archie’s right. His life is over there and hiding out in Riverdale forever isn’t going to help his career any. 

“Shut up,” Archie says with a knowing smirk. “Ronnie told me you were going to ask Betty about going with you. How did that go?” 

“Uh, it didn’t.” He doesn’t want to elaborate on _why_ it didn’t, but thankfully Archie doesn’t seem to need all the details. “I don’t know. I just don’t want to push things, you know? I might think it’s normal and fine, but what if she doesn’t? What if it weirds her out?”

Archie gives him a funny look before he lets out a long sigh. 

“Jug, man. Do you have feelings for Betty?” 

_“What?”_ He nearly screeches. “No! Why would—? Why would you even think that? I don’t have feelings for her. Are you crazy? There’s no way—.” Archie tilts his head at him, a bored expression on his face, and Jughead hangs his head in defeat. “I didn’t want to like her, Arch.” 

“Why not?” 

“Because she’s… dude, come on. Look at me. You know me. Do you really think a guy like me could be with a girl like Betty and _not_ ruin that somehow?” He runs a hand through his hair in frustration. “She’s already been through too much. I’m not adding to that pain.” 

“Jug.” He looks up at the solemn tone in his friend’s voice. Archie’s eyes are gentle in a way that almost makes him uncomfortable. “You can’t possibly think that about yourself, can you?” 

“Archie, you better than anyone—.” 

“No,” Archie says, voice as strong as steel. “You made some mistakes, man. Big mistakes, sure, but those mistakes aren’t you. Things got a little bad for a while, but you’re here now and you’re better because of them. You can’t keep punishing yourself for what you did in the past.” He places a hand onto Jughead’s shoulder and squeezes it. “You’re a good guy, Jug; one of the best. And if you like Betty, then I think that you could be really good for her and she could be good for you too.” Veronica had told him almost the exact same thing and he almost smiles at how alike the two of them can be sometimes. 

“But only if you know you’re serious about her,” Archie continues, “She’s not the kind of girl you can mess around and play games with. You need to be sure that she’s really what you want in the long run.” 

Is she? Jughead doesn’t know. He’s never really looked at someone and tried to see them together in the long run. He tries it right now with Betty, but he’s not sure if he’s forcing himself to see something because he desperately _wants_ there to be something, or if it just comes natural. It’s a blurred line that has him looking to Archie for the answer. 

“I can’t tell you how you feel, but I think that a weekend away with just the two of you could be a good place to start. Find out if there is something there or if you’re better off as friends. Either way, California will be good for you; for the _both_ of you. You should ask her.”

“Dude, when did you become the smart one here?” 

Archie laughs. “When you’ve been with Veronica for as long as I have, you learn a thing or two.” 

Jughead just shakes his head as he smiles. 

“Okay. I’ll ask her.” 

Archie looks over the moon at that and Jughead tries to match his excitement. It proves a lot harder than he originally thought. 

.

.

.

Because he has absolutely no patience whatsoever, he finds himself at Riverdale Elementary an hour later. Betty’s just started her lunch and he _really_ hopes that she brought something this time, because he hadn’t had time to stop anywhere. 

The secretary in the front smiles once she sees him again. 

“Mr. Jones, back so soon?” 

“I’m here to see Betty Cooper.” 

She nods as she grabs the sign in sheet for him. “I wasn’t aware that Miss Cooper was a friend of yours.” 

He raises an eyebrow at her. “Are the two of _you_ friends?” 

“Good enough. Just thought she would have mentioned something is all. I know I would have.” 

He tries not to grimace at her words. Somehow he has a feeling that her and Betty aren’t exactly friends at all. He doesn’t mention that; just like he doesn’t mention that he’s probably friends with Betty _because_ he knows that she won’t make a big deal out of it. That’s the last thing he needs in his life. 

“Well, I hope you have a good day,” he tells her before turning around to leave the office as fast as he can. It doesn’t matter how many times it happens, he’ll never quite get used to the leering stares that he receives from people. 

 

Betty’s not in her classroom when he gets there and he considers waiting outside, but that feels a little weird and her door is wide open anyway so he decides to just walk inside. The light is still on so he assumes that she’s probably on her way back from walking the kids to the cafeteria. 

He walks over to her desk and looks at the pictures that she has sitting on top of it. There’s one of her and Veronica at what looks like a concert. Both of them are smiling and Veronica has a beer in her hand while Betty is holding a bottle of water in hers. In another picture she’s standing in between Cheryl and Toni in line for some kind of roller coaster, all of them making funny faces at the camera. There’s a polaroid of her and Reggie and a selfie of her and Archie. He can’t help but notice that the only people in these pictures are her Riverdale friends. There’s no sign of her parents or any other family members. It’s also a stark contrast from the way her house has absolutely no pictures whatsoever. 

He’s toying with a snowglobe from Disney when he hears her laughter ring out. 

He turns around and doesn’t miss the way that his heart seems to race as she comes into his line of vision. It’s an odd feeling, one he’s not sure he’s ever experienced before, but it’s addicting too. It makes him feel good in a way that he hasn’t in a very long time. 

The feeling pauses for a moment when he sees that Betty is with someone else. 

There’s a man with her. He must be a teacher because well, he looks the part in a cardigan and khakis. The outfit itself isn’t flattering, but the man somehow makes it work in a way that Jughead is sure he never could. 

They’re both laughing at something and Betty starts to shake her head, but stops when she finally catches a glimpse of Jughead standing by her desk like some weirdo.

“Jug!” Her grin grows and she nearly runs into the room to hug him. He wraps his arms around her and hugs her back, but his eyes stay on the guy she walked in with who now looks like he’s seeing a ghost. “I didn’t know you were coming by today.” 

“Yeah, it was a last minute thing.” 

“Okay, wait,” the guy speaks up and Betty startles in Jughead’s arms as if she had forgotten there was anyone else in the room with them. It’s a nice thought. “Betty, you know Jughead Jones?” 

She pulls away and gives him an embarrassed smile before she turns around to face her colleague. 

“Yeah. Don’t make it a big thing, Tyler.” 

“Right, yeah. Sorry. It’s just… Holy shit, man.” Tyler walks over to him, a huge grin on his face, and he looks like a child who’s opening their Christmas presents. “I’m a huge fan. I think I’ve seen every movie of yours like, ten times. I had no idea that you knew our Betty here.” 

Our Betty. Hmm. 

Jughead smiles. “Yeah. Betty and I go way back.” 

“Oh.” Tyler looks dumbfounded before his eyes light up. “Wait, Betty, is this the—?” 

“So did you need to talk about something?” Betty asks suddenly, grinning like a maniac at Jughead. “Tyler was just walking me back to my room, but he’s going now!” She gives Tyler a pointed look and the other man just smiles and nods.

“Well, it was good to meet you, Jughead. Congrats on the Oscar by the way!” 

“Thanks, man.” He watches as Tyler walks back out of the room with a shit eating grin on his face the entire time. As soon as he’s out of the room, Jughead turns back over to Betty. “That was odd.” 

“Hmm? Oh yeah. Tyler’s a little eccentric.” 

Jughead nods. “Are you two close?” 

“Yeah. He’s probably my closest friend here at work.” Jughead just hums at her answer. “So did you come all this way just to say hi? Because if you did, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.” 

“Uh, no.” He wipes his hands on his jeans. Should he even ask her? What if Veronica and Archie are wrong and this entire thing blows up in his face? That seems much more likely if he’s being completely honest. He sighs and forces himself to ask while he still has the littlest nerve left. “I actually wanted to ask you something.” 

“Oh?” She stands up straighter, looking a lot more interested now. 

“Yeah, and you can say no, it’s fine. I’m in no way saying that you have to say yes or anything like that, but you’re really the only person I could think would enjoy this because Archie’s a baby who’s scared of everything and Veronica’s busy with her work, and the idea of taking Cheryl, Toni, or Reggie already makes me want to pop a xanax.” 

“Jug!” Betty laughs. “You’re rambling. Just ask me.” 

“Right, yeah, okay.” He shuffles his feet before looking at her again. “So you know that new horror movie _Into The Dark_?” Betty nods. “Well the premiere is this weekend in Los Angeles and I have a plus one spot open if you’d like to come. With me. To California.” Betty’s eyes widen and Jughead immediately feels like an idiot as he starts to backtrack. “You don’t have to! I just thought you would be interested because Veronica told me that you don’t travel much, and you said you love Halloween and scary movies and there’s plenty of cool, scary things that we could do during the weekend.” 

“Jug—.” 

“And I have a guest room that you can use at my place. Well, actually, I have like four so you can pick your favorite one. We could do whatever you want. It’s still pretty nice over there right now so we could even go to the beach, or meet up with some of my friends. But you don’t—.” 

“Jug!” Betty shouts. He winces as he picks up his head, ready to see her looking at him in disgust, ready to hear the word ‘no’. He’s completely surprised when he sees the way her lips curve up slightly. “Are you asking me to go to California with you for the weekend?” 

“Well… yeah,” He shrugs. “I just thought it could be fun, you know. You’ve never been and everyone should go at least once.” 

“Oh, should they?” The smile on her face grows. “I—. I actually would like that. A lot. But um, are you sure? I mean, won’t people say things?” 

He frowns. “Yeah, probably. But you don’t have to walk the red carpet with me or anything. And if anyone says anything, we could always just say you’re a friend, which is the truth.” _Unfortunately_. Sure, people won’t believe it but it’s better than saying nothing. Sometimes it does help when it comes to getting the attention off of you.” 

She nods slowly. “Just friends. Okay. Would we be back by Monday?” 

“Yeah, of course. The premiere is Saturday, so we could leave early Sunday or in the evening, whichever you prefer.” 

“I can’t believe I’m going to California,” she says happily. “Are you sure you want to take me? I mean, I’m sure Archie would want to go even if he is a huge scaredy-cat.” 

“Well, yeah, probably, but honestly you were my first choice.” 

She looks at him in shock. “Really?” 

“Mhm,” he hums with a nod. “I remembered how you said that you really liked Halloween and scary things. When my manager called to tell me about it, you were the first and only person I thought of.” The admission feels good to get out. 

Her eyes soften and her smile looks almost like a little pout, like she might cry at any given moment. It’s strange and yet so fucking adorable. He wonders if there’s a single thing about Betty Cooper that he _doesn’t_ like. Probably not. 

“I don’t know what all those tabloids are talking about,” she says as she takes a step closer to him. “You have a heart of gold, Jughead Jones.” 

“Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to uphold.” 

She mimics zipping her lips and throwing away the key. Yup. Adorable. God, is this really what it’s like to have a fucking crush on someone? Is this how Archie and Veronica feel everyday of their lives? It’s disgusting and yet… 

And yet he can’t help but feel like he roped the moon for her whenever she smiles at him like _that_. 

“You really want to come with me?” He double checks. 

“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?” She looks genuinely confused as to why he would think she would tell him no and he supposes that’s a good sign. 

“I don’t know. I just didn’t want you to think it was like, weird or something.” 

“No,” she laughs. “I don’t. In fact…” she steps closer to him and wraps her arms around him, tiptoeing so that she can rest her head onto his shoulder. It takes every ounce of willpower not to crush her body against his. “Thank you, Jug. Really. Not just for this, but for everything.” 

“Everything?” He asks as he rubs circles into her back with his palm. 

“You’ve been so good to me and helpful since we met. I’m… I’m just really happy that I have you in my life now. It really means everything to me, so thank you.” 

“You don’t need to thank me for that, Betty. I told you, I’m always here for you.” Her words from the other day come back into his head. 

_Is it crazy that sometimes I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you?_

Does she even remember saying that? Because he can’t stop thinking about it. He has the urge to ask her, but he doesn’t want to ruin the little bubble of happiness that they’re in right now. She might not have even meant to say it, or maybe she wasn’t even saying it to _him_. Who knows? She had been a little distraught still. Maybe that had something to do with it. 

“Are you doing okay?” He asks in regards to the other day. He hasn’t seen her seen then, but she doesn’t look tired or anything. She looks well rested and good; he just hopes she actually feels that way. 

“Yeah, ‘okay’ is exactly how I would describe my current state.” She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear and Jughead watches the movement with interest. “You made things a lot better, though. I don’t know how I would have gotten through that day without you.” 

“Well, you never have to.” He reaches out for her hand and she gladly offers it to him. “Like I told you, just let me be there for you and you’ll never have to go through something like that alone again.” 

“You’re a really good guy, Jughead Jones. I think it’s time you started showing the world that.” 

“I think you’re right.” He’d already wanted that; to be able to prove to everyone that he can change, that he can be good, but for some reason having Betty tell him to do it, makes him want to even more. He feels like he would do anything to make her happy, to make her proud. 

When the hell did he fly past the crush stage and straight into _this_ stage? 

He suddenly understands what Archie was talking about when he first laid eyes on Veronica and announced that he would die for her. Jughead had thought him an absolute idiot, but now he gets it. He definitely gets it. 

“Do you want to stay for lunch?” She asks. “I have about twenty-five more minutes.” 

“Sure.” He pauses. “Well, actually I should probably call Matt and tell him the new plan.” 

“Matt?” 

“He’s my manager.” Betty gives him an amused look and he rolls his eyes. “I know, I know. Look, we all get one in Hollywood, okay?” 

“Okay, Hollywood.” She grins at the new nickname and he sighs. 

“Laugh it up, Betts. I’ll make sure you don’t get to ride on the private jet.” 

Her eyes gleam and her grin softens before it takes up her entire face again. He’s not sure what she’s smiling at, and then he realizes that he’s called her by a name he hasn’t before. Betts. It had just slipped out, but… it fits her. He likes it. 

“Oh no. Don’t tell me you’ll make me sit in economy?” 

“Oh yeah. Right next to a crying baby.” 

She makes a face of mock horror before she starts laughing and he laughs along with her. 

It’s so strange to him still, that he’s here in Riverdale and he’s _happy_. He’s happier than he’s been in years; happier in a way that he never had been in California, even when he had forced himself to believe that he was. Being here, he’s finally able to take a step back and think about what the hell he was doing with his life, and if he was even happy or proud of it. The answer’s no, he knows that now. 

He also knows that if it hadn’t been for that one stupid mistake he’d made, he never would have come back to Riverdale. He never would have made up with Veronica and Archie, and he never would have met Betty Cooper. 

And as he stands in front of her, both of them laughing and her hands cradled in his, he knows now that the life before her hadn’t been a life at all. 

He hadn’t been living until he met her. 

He wonders if maybe she feels the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :')) 
> 
> so i've been thinking about doing a chapter in betty's pov. is that something y'all would be interested in? i dunno if i'd do the cali one in her pov or a future one, we'll see! 
> 
> anyway, let me know your thoughts! thank u for reading <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :’)) 
> 
> really, really hope you guys like this chapter because i loooove it. no beta for this one so sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> enjoy <3

Watching Betty pack brings him great joy in the oddest of ways. 

He had expected that she would have been packed two days ago, with everything in a very specific spot in her suitcase all nice and neat, but that had not been the case at all. 

“I can’t find it!” She cries out as she tears through her dresser drawers. Jughead tilts his head from where he watches her as he sits on her bed. 

“Find what?” 

She ignores him completely as she continues to mumble angrily to herself. He snorts and then tries to cover it with a fake sneeze whenever she turns around to glare at him. She just huffs and goes back to what she had been doing, which is apparently to ruin her bedroom as much as possible before they leave. 

They have to be at the airport in thirty minutes and when he tells her this, she begins to _throw_ things out of the drawers like a mad woman. This time he doesn’t bother hiding his laughter at all. 

Luckily, before Betty can throw something at his head in retaliation, she shrieks in joy and holds up what hasto be the ugliest sweater he has ever seen. It’s puke green and has several holes in it and looks _way_ too worn. He crinkles his nose as she smiles and clutches it to her chest. 

“It’s my lucky sweater,” she tells him and he raises an eyebrow in question. 

“I’m sorry. What? I’ve never heard of a lucky sweater before.” 

“Must explain why you have no luck.” She packs the sweater in her suitcase and then zips it up. “I always travel with it. I don’t know, it just makes me feel more comfortable whenever I have it with me.” 

He smiles and nods. He can understand that. He doesn’t really have anything like that, but he knows a lot of people in Hollywood that do. 

“You about ready? I know I said to take your time, but that was before I knew how much of a slow packer you are.” 

“Don’t be mean, Hollywood. I’ll make you go back all alone.” 

“Please don’t,” he jokes, but it’s less of a joke and more of a plea. The idea of leaving without her already has him rising up from the bed, ready to beg on his knees for her. Luckily she just smiles at him before picking up her bag from the ground. 

“I’m ready,” she says. She looks cozy in a pair of black tights and an oversized Game of Thrones sweater and absolutely giddy as she bounces on her feet. “So how does this work? For a celebrity, I mean. Do we go through the normal procedure at an airport?” 

Jughead shakes his head as he reaches out to grab her bag. There’s a car outside for them that Matt had actually called for and he’s thankful. He doesn’t know if he’d want to go through the hell he’d gone through just to get to Riverdale. 

“No. The car takes us to a different gate and that’s where we unload and load onto the plane privately.” He goes over the basics with her and she spends the entire time looking at him in amusement. “I know, I know,” he says. “You don’t have to say anything.” 

“Wasn’t gonna say a thing, Hollywood.” 

He rolls his eyes at the nickname, but he can’t ignore the way his heart seems to soar at her having a personal little pet name for him; no matter how pretentious it may be. 

.

.

.

**@CelebSightingOfficial: Jughead Jones is back in Los Angeles for the premiere of Into the Dark and he’s not alone! Is this mysterious blonde the same girl he’s been spotted with in Riverdale? Click here for our exclusive article and pictures of the two! **

**@AnnaBanana: So Jughead Jones has a new girlfriend and it’s not me so like, that sucks BUT! She’s obviously a fan of Game of Thrones so… perhaps I will let this slide**

**@JugJones: Okay, but did you guys see the way Jughead was holding onto that girl’s hand???? Like… I’m not saying they’re dating but I am saying…. He seems pretty protective, almost like… a boyfriend**

**@HopelessLover: Is he seriously dating some nobody?? When Jade is RIGHT THERE? That’s embarrassing.**

**@Jones011: LMAO @ everyone who’s salty about Jughead being seen with a new girl who isn’t famous… y’all ever think maybe that’s why he likes her?**

**@TheJugheadJones: Oh California, I did not miss your traffic at all.**

.  
.  
.

“Wow.” 

Betty looks around the foyer, eyes wide and mouth slightly open as she takes in her surroundings and Jughead feels like a tool. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s really big and obnoxious, but it’s the first thing I ever really bought for myself and for some reason I just felt like I needed something this big.” He can feel his face start to heat up and he honestly doesn’t understand why he’s embarrassed right now. He’s never felt like this while bringing someone home before. 

“Oh, my God,” Betty laughs. “Are you seriously trying to give me a reason behind buying this mansion?” 

“It’s not a mansion,” he says under his breath, even though, well, it kind of is. 

“It’s beautiful, Jughead, really. I guess I’ve just never seen something as nice as this.” She steps further into the room and looks at him in excitement. “Are you going to give me a tour?” 

And just like that, his embarrassment fades away. 

He spends the next thirty minutes or so walking around his house with Betty, showing her every room and pointing out fun little facts about everything. He shows her the room that he walked in on two A List celebrities getting it on, even though one of them was very much in a relationship with someone else at the time. He shows her where Fangs Fogarty once got a cop to do a keg stand with him, and where Jughead had tried to challenge a UFC fighter and nearly got his ass kicked. She makes a few jokes here and there, but Jughead doesn’t mind in the slightest. 

“I can’t believe you have a home theatre,” she says once he’s finished his tour. She’s sitting at the bar in his kitchen while he looks through his cabinets and fridge for something that he can make her. “I thought for sure that was just a thing in the movies.” 

He laughs. “Nope. I don’t use it as much as I should, though. I used to have the cast of Evermore over all the time and we would watch the new episodes down there. But it hasn’t really been used since the show ended.” 

Betty nods. “You know, my niece loves that show.” 

“Really?” He asks, amused. “How old is she?”

“She just turned eleven.” 

His eyes widen. “Uh… I don’t think that’s a good age to be watching that show.”

Betty laughs loudly and despite his shock, he smiles along with her. 

“Don’t worry, my sister makes sure that she doesn’t watch any of the mature scenes. I think she just likes the dragons and witchy stuff. Although she is a huge fan of your character.” 

“Are you serious?” His face lights up. “Why haven’t you ever told me this?” 

“Because it’s embarrassing! And I do not need to feed your ego.” She covers her face with a hand, hiding the way her cheeks darken. “When your character went all ‘evil king’ in the fourth season, she was over the moon.” She pauses and tilts her head. “That’s a little alarming now that I think about it.” 

He snorts. “That’s really cute.” He closes the cabinet, giving up. “What about you?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Did you ever watch it?” He feels silly asking the question, but he really wants to know. The idea of Betty knowing him all this time shouldn’t be something surprising to him, because a lot of people know who he is, but for some reason this new discovery makes his heart stutter in his chest. When she covers her face and groans, Jughead lights up. He leans over the bar, legs dangling off the floor, and he pulls Betty’s hands away from her face as she whines loudly. “Come on, Betts! Don’t tell me you’re a secret King Sebastian fan?” 

“I was not!” She pouts. “I only ever saw an episode or two.” 

“Oh really? Why do I get the feeling that’s not the truth at all?” His voice has gone low and it’s laced with teasing, or maybe he’s full on flirting now. He can’t really tell the difference anymore. 

She looks up at him, eyes hooded and dreamy. She blinks and opens her mouth slightly. Jughead watches the movement carefully, eyes focused completely on her lips as she says, “I might have something to confess.” 

“Yeah?” He leans in a little bit, enamored. 

“I might have had a little crush… on the actor that played your archnemesis.” 

Jughead smiles before he realizes what she’s said and then he’s reeling back from her with a scowl. 

“ _Sweet Pea_?” He screeches and Betty erupts into a fit of giggles. “Oh, you’re paying for that one, Cooper!” 

“Oh yeah?” She says as she steps off the stool and takes a step backwards. “You have to catch me first.” And then she’s running away from him. 

For a moment, just a slight moment, Jughead watches her take off. Her hair is loose and flying behind her. She turns to face him and she’s smiling as she laughs at him and he’s not sure he’s ever seen anyone look so beautiful and graceful. She looks wild and carefree and happy in a way that he hadn’t thought was possible at first. She’s a girl who’s been hurt so horribly and yet she’s laughing with him; she’s smiling and running around his house like it’s her home and he loves it. She looks like she belongs here. 

He lets the thought fade from his mind before he takes off running after her. Their laughter fills the large house and for the first time in a very long time, it _feels_ like home. It’s filled with warmth and happiness in a way that it never had been before. 

He chases her into the living room and it’s not hard at all for him to catch up to her. He wraps his arms around her waist and twirls her around in the air as she cackles loudly. Her laugh sounds loud and messy, like the hyenas from Lion King, but it’s so fucking beautiful. 

“Got you,” he whispers into her ear. 

“No!” She wiggles around, trying to get out of his grasp, and both of them tumble to the floor together as their limbs get tangled in each other. 

She falls on him with a gentle ‘oof’ and he relishes in the feeling of her weight on top of him like his favorite blanket. 

“Whoops,” she breathes out as she grins down at him, not at all bothered by their closeness. 

Jughead wraps his arms around her tighter. “Still got you.” 

“Yes,” she says softly, “I suppose you do.” And then, to his surprise, she lowers her head to rest it on his chest. “I was just joking before,” she admits to him in a whisper. “I didn’t have a crush on Sweet Pea, but I didn’t have one on your character either.” 

“Oh,” he says dejectedly. Well… fuck. There goes that. His heart drops and his arms loosen around her, ready to pull away completely. 

“I didn’t watch that show enough to have a crush on anyone. I liked your character though. You’re an amazing actor, Jughead. I don’t think I ever told you that before, but you are. I’ve seen some of your movies and the way that you act is completely mesmerizing.” She brings her hand up to caress his chest with her fingertips. “Sometimes it feels kind of surreal that I know you; that I’m here with you and we’re… friends. It feels like a dream, like the best kind that I never want to wake up from.” 

“I know what you mean,” he says as he brings a hand up to run through her hair. “Before Riverdale, before you, I thought I was happy. I thought I had everything I could possibly want, but now I know that wasn’t the truth at all. My life was so empty before and I didn’t even know it. I’m happier now and I think I owe some of that to you.” 

“Oh,” she drags out, “I don’t think so.” 

“I’m serious,” he tells her. “The person I was before… God, you would have hated him. I think about that person and I’m disgusted. I can’t believe that I let myself get so far off the rails. Knowing you? That’s made me want to be a better person; a person that you would want to have in your life.” 

“You mean that?” She whispers against his chest and he nods. 

“I do.” 

She’s quiet for a few moments before she speaks up again. “Jughead, can I tell you something?” 

“Of course you can, Betty.” 

“I--.” 

The doorbell rings loud and angry and the two of them startle upwards into sitting positions. 

“What the hell?” He whispers to himself. Who could possibly be here right now? They haven’t even been here for more than an hour. Seriously? Can he not have one thing for himself? He considers just ignoring whoever is at the door, but then they ring the bell again and he knows that’s not an option for him. 

“I’m sorry,” he tells Betty as he moves to stand up. “I should probably get that.” 

“Yeah, right. Of course. I’ll wait here.” She moves to make for the couch, but Jughead grabs her hand and stops her. 

“What? No. Come on, you don’t need to hide over here. I’ll introduce you to whoever’s there.” 

“What if it’s a crazy killer that broke out of prison and now you’re just bringing me along to my death?” He looks down at her and she snorts at the confused look on his face. “Sorry, I’ve been watching really cheesy horror movies lately.” 

“Uh huh, right.” 

They walk over to the front door together, but he notices the way that Betty stands behind him timidly, like she’s scared of whoever could be behind that door. She doesn’t know that Jughead would never let anyone hurt her, especially not in his house; a place that he wants her to feel safe in. He looks down at her and smiles before opening the door. 

“Matt,” he greets in shock. “I didn’t know that you were coming by.” 

His agent smiles at him before letting himself in, typical Matt-like, and brings Jughead in for a brief hug. 

“Yeah, sorry. I know you just got here and everything, but I figured that we should go over tomorrow.” 

“Right, of course. Come in.” He closes and locks the door before turning back to his two guests. “Matt, this is Betty Cooper from Riverdale. Betty, this is Matt, my manager.” 

“Hi,” Matt says as he extends his hand for Betty. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“You, too,” Betty tells him with a smile. 

The three of them make their way to the living room. Betty and Jughead sit together on the larger couch, while Matt makes himself comfortable in the recliner. 

“I’m assuming Miss Cooper is your plus one?” Jughead nods at the question. “Okay. Well, a few pictures of the two of you together at LAX came out so the good thing is that this won’t be a complete surprise tomorrow evening. People are expecting to see Jughead Jones’ mystery girl.” He rolls his eyes at the stupid title. “Now, do you two plan on walking the red carpet together?” 

“Uh…” Jughead trails off and looks down at Betty. He had told her that she didn’t have to walk it with him if she didn’t want to, but she never actually gave him an answer for it. 

“You don’t need to answer that right now. It’s not that important,” Matt tells them, looking down at his phone. “Miss Cooper, if you choose not to walk the carpet with him, you’ll simply be moved off to the side while he does. It’s not a big deal at all. Now, Jughead, Cara and I think it would be good for you to do a small interview.”

“Matt,” he groans, shaking his head. 

“I know, I know, okay? But look, we reached out to Anastasia over at Entertainment and she’s more than happy to ask questions that Cara and I already pre-approved.” 

Jughead nods. He knows Anastasia and she’s always been really respectful when it comes to the media coverage on him. “Okay, and do I get to know what those questions are?” 

Matt taps at his phone. “Yes, she has a list of four questions that she may ask you if you agree to this. Firstly, she will mention how good it is to have you back home and then she will proceed to ask you about your time in Riverdale. All you have to do is say that it was good and you’ve enjoyed it. She will then ask you who you predict will be the Final Girl in the movie and who you’re most excited to see on screen.” 

“Doesn’t that count as another question?” Jughead asks, but Matt just ignores him. He can hear Betty stifle laughter on the other side of him. 

“Thirdly, if Miss Cooper is present, she will ask who you’ve decided to bring along as your date. This will be the moment where you would introduce her to the world, if that’s what you so choose. Introduce her as a friend, as your girlfriend, as your long lost sister, it doesn’t really matter. As soon as you answer the question, if Miss Cooper is present with you, Anastasia is to finally ask you who you’re wearing and then you are on your way.” He looks up from his phone. “Any questions?” 

“Uh,” Jughead drags out. “No. I don’t think so.” 

Matt nods, clearly satisfied. “Think about how you want to go about things and let me know tomorrow morning.” He stands up from the recliner. “Miss Cooper, it was very lovely to meet you. I hope you have a good time here.” 

“Thank you,” Betty tells him. “Have a good day.” 

Matt smiles at her before turning to Jughead. “Can I speak with you for a moment?” 

Jughead glances at Betty, who smiles and nods encouragingly, before nodding himself and leading Matt out of the living room and into the kitchen. 

“What’s up?” 

Matt studies him. “You look good, Jones. Really, I mean it.” 

“You come here just to tell me that, Matt?” 

“No. Look, I’ve been here for less than thirty minutes and I can see that there’s something different about you. You seem… lighter, more open--happier even, than you have in a very long time. I don’t know if we can owe all of that to the girl in the other room, but I’d bet that we could owe _a lot_ of it to her. Keep her close, Jones. And don’t let Hollywood scare her.” 

Jughead doesn’t say anything. He’s too busy looking at his manager in shock. Matt just smiles before clapping him on the shoulder. 

“Well, I can let myself out. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? The team will be here by twelve to start getting ready, so get some rest.” 

Jughead nods silently as he watches Matt leave. Is it completely obvious to everyone around him that he’s carrying a torch for Betty? God, can _she_ tell? He sure hopes not. Despite whatever feelings he has for her, he admires their friendship above everything else and he doesn’t want to ruin that. 

“Jug?” He turns around and Betty’s standing in the doorway. She shifts around on her feet as she plays with the end of her sweater. “Everything okay?” 

“Yeah,” he says after a second. “Yeah, of course. He was just telling me that he’s glad I’m back for the weekend. Guess he missed me.” Betty hums, but doesn’t add any input. He has a feeling that she doesn’t exactly believe him and well, he can’t say that he blames her. Archie’s right; for an actor, he’s a really shitty liar. “Hey, so I actually have this friend that does this haunted hayride thing every October. I called him ahead of time and he said that we could stop by around ten tonight and check it out, if you want.” 

Betty’s face lights up immediately. “A haunted hayride? Really? I’ve always wanted to go on one of those.” 

“Well, count yourself in for a treat then, because this is rated the scariest one in California.” 

And Jughead-- well, truth be told, he’s not exactly the biggest fan of haunted houses, hayrides, carnivals, or whatever the hell else there is. It’s not that he’s scared, definitely not, but he’s a little apprehensive. Sue him. Although, as he looks at the pure excitement on Betty’s face, he can’t help but to feel like he’d walk through all the layers of Hell if it made her smile like that. 

.

.

.

“You’re lying.”

“No.” 

“Jughead, please tell me you’re lying.” 

“I don’t understand why you refuse to believe me.” 

“Because! How is it possible that you’ve never had rolled ice-cream?” Betty is practically glaring up at him and he honestly doesn’t see what the issue is here. 

“It’s not like my trainer was telling me to eat this shit,” he says and then apologizes when Betty pinches his arm slightly from where her arm is laced around his elbow. “I’ve never been a huge ice-cream guy.” 

“Okay, but this is _rolled_ ice-cream,” she says, shaking him a little bit. “It’s far superior and you’re going to be thanking me for introducing you to it.” 

He just snorts and shakes his head, but allows her to continue looking on at the different flavors they offer. 

After ordering in some food, Betty had declared that they ought to get some good dessert. Jughead, who hasn’t been the best dessert guy as of late, had let her look up different places near them, which is how they ended up at this hole-in-the-wall place about five miles from his home. 

He’s wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses to try and disguise himself, but Betty’s told him several times that he just looks like the douchebag version of himself. Regardless, no one has come up to them yet so he’ll take it. 

“What flavor are you going to get?” She asks him, leaning into him a little more. “I think I want cotton candy.” 

He tries not to grimace at how awful this is going to be for him. He hasn’t even been to the gym in a month and now he’s about to eat rolled ice-cream? If he ever sees his trainer again, he’s sure he’s going to get an earful. 

“Uh,” he drags out as he looks at the menu. “The banana one sounds pretty good.” It’s the only thing on the menu that doesn’t make his teeth hurt when he thinks about it. 

“Ooh, that one has Nutella in it. That does sound good.” 

“Hi,” the girl at the front register says with a smile when it’s finally their turn. “What can I get you today?” 

“I’ll have your Cotton Candy and Monkey Business flavors, please.” Jughead tells her as he hands her $20. The girl writes down their orders on two little bowls and hands it over to a coworker before helping the next person in line. 

“Monkey Business!” A guy yells out after a few minutes and Betty nearly squeals as she pulls Jughead over to watch them make his ice-cream. “Do you want any sauce on this?” 

“No, thanks,” he says but Betty gasps. 

“No! You have to get sauce. That’s what they write your name in!” 

“What?” He asks, completely flabbergasted. 

“He wants chocolate sauce,” Betty tells the man with a smile. “For Juggie!” 

“Juggie?” The man questions, eyebrow raised. 

“J-u-g-g-i-e.” 

Jughead watches in complete amazement as Betty rattles off the spelling happily. She glances back up at him and frowns. 

“Wait, is chocolate sauce okay? I just figured it would go best but—.” 

“Hey,” he says, “it’s more than okay.” 

“Okay.” She then turns her attention away from him to ask the man to ‘hold on real quick’ so she can take a picture of his name in the ice-cream. 

 

When they’re outside, she watches him intently as he takes his first bite. 

“Holy fuck.” 

“Right?” 

“I mean… _holy fuck_.” 

“Right!” She grins as she takes a bite of hers. “I told you it was life changing.” 

“This is incredible.” He takes another bite and has to stop himself from moaning like some weirdo. He gets an idea and stops her. “Hold up.” He pulls out his phone and opens up his camera. 

“Oh, my God,” Betty cackles. “Are you seriously taking a picture right now?” 

“Oh, absolutely. You did it! Besides, this deserves to be shared with the world. Wanna put yours in?” 

Betty snorts and shakes her head in disbelief before reaching out to put hers in the shot. 

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**JugheadJones: Would gladly give up my firstborn child for this rolled ice-cream right here. #ThanksBetts **

**@VeronicaLodge: Omg, I’m so jealous! Have fun!!**

**@CherylBombshell: I can’t believe you didn’t take me with you… hope ur movie sucks <3 miss you two **

**@cellybelly: is that downtown????**

**@heather011: who the FUCK is betts?!?!?**

**@jugadeforever: @heather011 i think he’s with jade!! remember when she was a guest star on Family Fortune? her character’s name was beth. he’s probably trying to throw us off**

**@kingbash: is that the girl from the airport pictures?! show us her face, KING**

** missjadeeverton, fangs, and 1,000,023 others liked this **

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They get to the haunted hayride a little after ten and it’s _packed_. 

The location is practically in the middle of nowhere, off an old county road. The owner, Jonathan, bought a bunch of land out here years ago and decided to open up the hayride. Jughead’s not sure how long the ride is, but with the amount of land it’s built on, he’s sure it’s not short. 

The closer they get to the entrance, the more excited he begins to feel. He can hear Marilyn Manson’s cover of Sweet Dreams playing from the speakers and there’s a ghostly fog that covers the ground. It’s set up like an old cemetery, with gravestones and actual tombs and crypts and Jughead’s blown away by how real it all looks. 

People are dressed up in costumes despite the fact that it’s not actually Halloween yet, and Betty is having a blast as she points out some of her favorites. Some are scary, and Jughead’s sure they must have to work the hayride, and others are sexy and funny. However, it’s not until they see a guy dressed up as Jughead’s Mad King Sebastian character from Evermore, complete with the iron mask that had covered the right side of his face for the last two seasons, that Betty truly loses herself. 

“Oh, my God, Jug,” she squeals, “don’t tell me you don’t think that’s the coolest thing ever.” 

He shakes his head, but truth is, yeah. It’s fucking _incredible_. Aside from the mask, which Jughead remembers as being just as uncomfortable as it was badass, the guy has on the imitation dragon scale armor that Jughead’s character had worn. It looks so much like the one he’d worn on the show that for a moment he considers asking him if he bought that from the set somehow. Either way, he looks good. 

The first time he’d seen someone dressed up as one of his characters on Halloween, he’d cried, which is something that he’ll deny until his dying day but still, it happened. Even after all these years, it’s so surreal to see people dressed up as his characters. 

“This one time I was at the airport—and this was before all the Oscars and big blockbuster movies— I was dressed like Evan from _Aftermath_. Do you know that movie?” Betty shakes her head, looking a little sheepish as she does. “Well, the character is iconic for wearing all black, including this black leather jacket with white stripes on the arms; it’s like his trademark. I ended up keeping the jacket as a souvenir and I’m at the airport wearing it, and this girl comes up to me—she had to be at least sixteen—and asks me if anyone’s ever told me that I look _just like Evan from Aftermath_. I was about to tell her that I _was_ him, but then she proceeded to tell me that _’of course, Jughead Jones is far cuter than you are. No offense.’_

Betty gasps in shock before covering her mouth as she lets out a bark of laughter. “No!” 

Jughead nods, smiling at the memory. “I swear! I was so offended that I didn’t even know what to say so I just said okay.” 

“Aw, no! That’s so mean.” 

“Oh yes, I can tell that you feel so bad for me from the way you’re currently laughing at my pain.” 

She grins up at him. “Behind this smile, I’m crying for you.” 

He scoffs before he throws his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to him, tickling her stomach with his free hand as he does. 

Betty starts to cackle again, but this time it’s a little wheezy. 

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” 

“Thank you,” Jughead tells her, causing her to stick her tongue out at him like a child. He pulls his hand away from her stomach, but leaves the arm around her shoulders in place. He pauses, waits for her to tell him he can stop touching her any minute now, but she doesn’t. She simply presses herself into him a little more and he allows his arm to relax. 

At that moment, the faint sound of a chainsaw echoes around them and a girl runs past them screaming loudly. Betty startles before she realizes that it’s a part of the attraction. 

“Will you make fun of me if I say that I’m a little scared right now?” 

“No,” he says truthfully. “Because I’m actually terrified.” 

“Really? You?” 

He nods. “I really don’t do haunted attractions, so if I start screaming like a little girl, please don’t hold it against me.” 

“I’m definitely holding it against you.” 

Jughead just shakes his head fondly before leading her through the crowd of people and towards the ticket booth near the entrance. He hasn’t seen Jonathan anywhere and he feels a little anxious at the idea of having to talk to a random person. He doesn’t want to get noticed here, purely because he doesn’t want Betty to have any kind of attention on her when she’s just trying to enjoy a night out. 

“Hi,” he tells the kid working the booth. “Is Jonathan around?” 

The boy doesn’t even look up from his phone. “Unless you have a complaint, he’s not here.” 

Okay. What the fuck? Jughead’s so startled by the rude tone and attitude that he actually stands there for a few seconds in silence. 

“Look, I don’t—.” 

Betty wraps her arm around his waist and squeezes it sharply, cutting him off. 

“We know he must be very busy,” she says kindly and way too sweet, “but Jughead Jones is an old friend of his. Perhaps he’d like to make some time.”

Sneaky girl. Jughead looks down at her in awe. 

The boy’s head snaps up and his cheeks redden as he realizes that it’s not some rando standing in front of him. 

“Oh! I’m so sorry. Jonathan said to be expecting you, but we honestly get so many people that come to complain about the ride being too scary or that they lost an earring and need me to go find it, and it’s just really annoying.” He looks like he’s two seconds away from crying. “I didn’t mean to be so rude, Mr. Jones. Really. I—.” 

“Woah,” Jughead says, “hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I get it. No hard feelings.” He smiles too, so the kid believes him. “But is he here?” 

“Of course! I can call him real quick for you.” 

“Thank you.” 

The boy turns to make the call and Jughead looks down at Betty. 

“I can’t believe you just used my name to get your way.” 

Betty’s eyes snap up to his and her mouth drops open in shock. She looks mortified. 

“Oh, my God. I did, didn't I? I’m sorry, Jughead. I shouldn’t have done that.” 

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s okay,” he laughs. “It was either that or I was about to lay out that kid. I’m _kidding_ ,” he says when she glares at him. “But really, please feel free to use my name to get all your desires in life.” 

“You’re an idiot, Jughead Jones.” 

“Oh, that’s what I am?” 

She rolls her eyes and tries to fight a smile, but loses in the end. 

“Jones!”

The two of them turn around and Jughead laughs happily when he sees Jonathan running up to them in an extravagant vampire costume. Jughead hasn’t seen him in about a year now, but he looks really good. His hair is finally starting to gray a little and there are prominent creases near his eyes as he smiles, but he looks _good_. He’s glad to see it. 

“Jonathan!” The two of them hug briefly before Jughead pulls away to tug at the cape around his friend’s shoulders. “I like this one a lot more than the Hugh Hefner costume.” 

Jonathan’s eyes twinkle at the reminder of _that_ Halloween. “Ah, yes. Well, my new boyfriend insists that we do scary because ‘if it’s not scary, then it’s not Halloween’,” he puts on a slight country accent that Jughead assumes is supposed to be his boyfriend’s voice. 

“A new one? What happened to Christofer?” 

Jonathan waves his hand dismissively. “He was lovely, but it was nothing serious. We’re still good friends. But my Alexander is The One, you know?” He smiles softly as he says this, and before Jughead can nod and agree, he’s looking past him and to where Betty stands behind him. His eyes light up as he sees the blonde and he nearly pushes Jughead to the ground to try and get to her. 

“And who is this beauty?” He marvels as he takes Betty’s hand. “Is she your One?” And then softly to Jughead, “I never was a fan of you and Jade.” 

Betty’s mouth drops open and she turns to Jughead for help, but he’s just as shocked here. His face is beat red as he stutters, trying to find the right thing to say right now. Betty must realize that he’s not having any luck, because she smiles politely at Jonathan and speaks up. 

“We’re just friends,” she informs him, but there’s something in her voice that sounds a little weird. “I’m Betty! It’s so nice to meet you.” 

Jonathan frowns. “Oh, you’ll have to forgive me, Betty. Sometimes an old man like me speaks a little too freely.” 

“You’re forty,” Jughead says with a snort. “You’re not old.” 

“My boyfriend sure makes me feel old.” 

Betty laughs at that, before covering her mouth in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t laugh.” 

“Nonsense, my dear. A beauty with a laugh as lovely as yours should never apologize for finding joy in things.” 

Betty blinks slowly and smiles shyly at that. Jughead knows it’s impossible, but Jonathan has no idea how much that probably means for her to hear. 

“Now,” he says suddenly, clapping his hands, “are you two going to try the ride tonight? I’ve added some new scares this year.” 

“Yes!” Betty says excitedly. She’s actually bouncing on the balls of her feet and Jughead can’t help but to watch her fondly. “I haven’t been on a haunted hayride before, but I’ve always wanted to try one.” 

“Well, I’m glad that mine will be the first then! Come, follow me. I won’t have you two standing out here in the cold. You can go through the VIP line.” 

Jonathan leads the way and Jughead’s about to reach out for Betty’s hand just as he feels her slide her palm against his, lacing their fingers together. He looks down at their now joined hands in surprise. He knows he shouldn’t feel anything about it; they’ve held hands plenty of times now, but the fact that she’s the one initiating it makes it feel different; makes it feel like more. Fuck. He hopes his hand doesn’t start sweating, because he’s beginning to feel really nervous for some reason. 

Could she feel the same way about him? Is that even possible? To him, the idea that someone as good and loving as Betty could possibly like him is borderline insane. He’s not a great person. Sure, he isn’t the antichrist or anything, but he’s not… he’s not good. Or maybe he is. He doesn’t know. But either way, he’s sure as hell not good enough for Betty. And she would realize that one day. Maybe not today or tomorrow or even a year from now, but one day she would. And she would leave and it would be too late for him and all he’d be left with is a broken heart. 

“You okay?” Betty asks him quietly, shaking him out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“You sure? Because if you’re too scared for this, you can tell me, you know. I’m still going to make you ride it with me, but at least I won’t make fun of you… too much.” 

“Have I ever told you that you’re mean? Because you are. You’re mean to me.” 

“I am not and you know it.” 

“Yeah,” he says with hearts in his eyes. “I know.” 

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.

.

“Don’t touch me.” 

“Jughead!” 

“Get away from me.” 

“Oh, my God! You huge baby!” 

“Please don’t speak to me for the next two hours.” 

“Juggie!” There’s a pull on the sleeve of his sweater but he just sniffles before turning away. Betty huffs. “You’re so dramatic, I can see why you’re an actor.” 

“Dramatic? You _left me_! There was a man chasing me with a chainsaw and you just ran away!” 

“It wasn’t a real chainsaw!” 

“Oh yeah? It _felt_ real! He was about to go all Texas Chainsaw on me and you didn’t even care! What am I to you? A joke!?” 

It’s quiet for a second and then Betty erupts into laughter. Jughead whirls around to look at her in disbelief. She’s holding onto her stomach as she leans forward, gasping for air, and Jughead glares at her. 

“Is my pain funny to you, Betty?” 

She looks up at him and he can see that there are tears in her eyes. She blinks and the tears fall onto her cheeks and Jughead… he can’t breathe.

“ _I used to laugh until I cried_ ,” a voice echoes in his head, sad and reminiscent, “ _I don’t do that anymore. I miss that_.”

She’s laughing so hard right now that she’s crying, and despite the tears on her cheeks, she’s smiling and wheezing and she looks like a complete mess, and she looks _ethereal_. And Jughead is so completely gone for her. 

“I’ve seen people cry from being so scared at these things,” Jonathan’s voice rings out near them, “but never from laughing.” 

“Oh, no,” Betty says as she wipes at her eyes, still wheezing. “Trust me, that’s definitely the scariest haunted attraction I have ever been on, but Jughead was so scared that I just can’t stop laughing.” 

Jughead tries to glare at her words, but he’s sure that he probably looks like he’s five seconds away from declaring his undying love for her, so he just turns to Jonathan instead. 

“Seriously, J, that was incredible. I really thought that Headless Horseman guy was going to behead me for a minute.” Jonathan and Betty laugh in unison but he’s not sure that they know just how truthful he’s being about that. 

“Well, I’m glad that you two enjoyed it. Are you going to be here for Halloween? I’m having a party.” 

Well, damn. Jughead loves Jonathan’s parties. 

“Nah. We’re just here for a movie premiere. We’re flying back to Riverdale on Sunday.” 

Jonathan nods, but he’s eyeing Jughead a little strangely now. 

“Shame. Well, it was lovely to see you again, Jughead. And Betty, I do hope this isn’t the last time we’ll see each other. You are _so_ darling.” 

Betty blushes. “It was so nice to meet you, Jonathan. Thank you for having us. It was amazing.” 

Jonathan looks over the moon as he says his parting goodbyes to them. 

 

“So, you had fun?” Jughead asks when they’re in the backseat of an Uber. 

Betty nods. “I did. Jonathan seems lovely, by the way.” 

“He is.” Jughead had met him about a year after his first big gig here. Jonathan was older and knew the scene better and he had really helped Jughead to feel more comfortable. He owed him a lot, but more than anything he looked at him and saw a good friend; one of the few that he knew he could trust here. “And he seemed to love you.” 

Betty just blushes before looking down. 

“Are you hungry or anything?” He asks, even though they had dinner before the hayride. “We could pick up a snack or something for later.” He doesn’t really have much at home and anything he does have, he’s not sure that he can cook. “Or we could DoorDash something.” 

“I’m not hungry,” Betty tells him. “I’m actually tired. I think the time difference is starting to catch up with me.” 

He nods. “Oh, right. Yeah. I forgot about that.” 

“It’s a three hour difference. How do you forget about that?” 

“I’m not an old woman,” he jokes and Betty laughs humorlessly. “I’m used to it. I used to do this all the time but with places like Paris. Now _that_ was a nightmare.” 

“I bet,” she says and yawns right afterwards. “Sorry. I’m probably boring you, aren’t I? I’m sure you had so much that you wanted to do and here I am ready for bed at midnight.” 

“Betty, I’m just glad to be with you,” he admits. “We could stay at my place all weekend and do absolutely nothing and I’d have fun, because I’d be with you.” 

Betty’s eyes widen as she licks her lips and swallows. “Well, as fun as that sounds, I’ve been dying to see this movie, so you’re not getting out of it that easy.” 

“Damn, there goes my plan.” 

She snorts and shakes her head and they fall into a comfortable silence as she leans over and rests her head on his shoulders. She closes her eyes and Jughead listens as her breathing evens out. 

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Betty had gone to bed as soon as they had gotten back to his place. 

He’d given her the biggest guestroom with the best bed in it and she’d waxed poetry about how soft it was before passing out. 

He’s a little jealous of how easily she seems to be able to fall asleep. He tosses and turns in his bed for an hour before he gives up. His mind has been racing all day and it looks like it’s not about to stop anytime soon. 

Matt’s words from earlier are bouncing around, demanding that he take them seriously and _do something_ , because as much as Jughead usually hates to admit this, he had been right. There was something different about him now and he knows that it’s because of Betty; not all of it, of course, but a big majority of it. He’s aching to reach out for her and tell her the truth; to wrap his arms around her and never let her go. He wants her so badly in a way that he’s not sure he’s ever wanted anything in his entire life and that scares him. Hell, it fucking terrifies him. And he doesn’t know what to do with that at all. 

He sighs and decides not to think about it right now. They’re in California and they’re having a good time together. He doesn’t need to ruin that just because he can’t get his feelings in check. They said they would do this thing as friends and as much as he wishes things were different, they aren’t and he can deal with that. It’s fine. 

The clock on his bedside table reads just a little after two in the morning and he contemplates going downstairs and making himself a drink. He hasn’t gotten drunk since the night of his DUI and a small part of him really thinks that his problems could easily be solved right now by downing some whiskey. 

A picture flashes in his mind then; a beautiful blonde coming down the staircase and rubbing her eyes sleepily to find him drunk in the middle of his kitchen. Maybe it shouldn’t be as big of a deal as it is in his mind, but he immediately lets that idea die down. Betty’s told him before that she doesn’t mind him drinking, but he still doesn’t feel right getting drunk around her when it’s just the two of them. He can’t imagine her being comfortable with that situation and the last thing he would ever want is for her to not feel at ease in his home. 

He groans and throws himself into his pillows with a little too much force and decides to count backwards from a hundred. He hasn’t done this in a while and he highly doubts that it’s going to work, but it’s worth a try at this point. 

He’s on sixty-seven when his eyes snap open at a distant sound. He strains his ears, trying to listen for it again, but he doesn’t hear anything. He closes his eyes slowly once again and continues counting. 

_Sixty-six, sixty-five, sixty-four…_

The sound is louder this time, and it only takes him a second to realize that it’s a cry. He sits up quickly as his brain catches up to what’s going on. Betty’s guest room is the one right next to his master bedroom and his door is wide open right now, so it’s easy for the sound to travel. 

“Betty,” he whispers, almost like a revelation, and throws the covers off of himself as he runs out of his room and into hers. 

She’s tossing and turning, shaking her head, and Jughead short circuits for a moment, not knowing what the hell he’s supposed to do right now. Then she lets out a loud sob and he’s running towards the bed and wrapping his arms around her to lift her up. 

“Betty! Betty, wake up.” He cradles her head against his shoulder and rocks her back and forth. “Betty, please wake up. It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay.” He repeats the words over and over again and she pulls away from him harshly, obviously startled as she wakes up. She opens her eyes slowly and blinks rapidly as if she’s trying to focus her vision. There’s just enough of the moonlight shining through the window that she can make out who he is. 

“Jug,” she whispers, confused and almost scared. “I’m…” 

“You’re okay,” he tells her softly. “I’m here, okay? You’re not alone. You’re okay.” 

Her eyes run over his face and then she throws her arms around him, crushing herself against him, and he’s shocked for a moment before he hugs her tightly. 

“Was it a nightmare?” He asks. 

She shrugs. “It’s hard for me to sleep in new places sometimes. It took me months to get used to Riverdale.” She pauses and moves her head to where she’s speaking into Jughead’s neck now. Her breath tickles his skin as she speaks, but he doesn’t mind. “I don’t really know if it’s a nightmare. I just see these lights, bright lights that are so blinding that I can’t see anything else. I try to run away from them, but it’s like I’m frozen in place and no matter what I do or how fast I run, I can’t escape them.” 

“Why didn’t you say something? You don’t have to sleep alone, Betty.” When he realizes what he’s said, he backtracks. “I mean, I could have stayed with you until you fell asleep or just stayed here with you all night.” 

Betty lifts her head from his shoulder to look at him. Her eyes are soft and she’s looking at him in a way that almost looks a little sad. 

“How are you real?” She whispers and he’s so taken aback by the question that he just stares at her in shock. “Can I tell you something?” 

“Yes, anything.” 

She brings her hand up and cradles his cheek in it. Her palm is small and warm against his skin and it’s loving and comforting in a way that he hasn’t experienced in so long. It’s almost addicting in a way and he never wants her to pull away from him. 

“For a long time I felt so alone and sad. Even when I had Archie and Veronica, I still felt… incomplete. I knew something was missing and for a really long time, I thought that was Daniel.” She chews on her bottom lip nervously. “But now I know that wasn’t exactly true. It was you. You’re what was missing.” 

It feels like she’s suckerpunched him and he opens and closes his mouth several times, at an absolute loss for words. 

“Betty…” 

“I said goodbye to him a long time ago. And for a while, I wasn’t sure how long I was supposed to mourn him; how long I was supposed to be alone. I didn’t know how long I was supposed to wait until I could be happy again. For a while, I thought that maybe I was just supposed to be alone forever. Then I met you.” 

“You hated me,” he says, more so because he’s too shocked here to really form a complete thought. Betty just smiles at him. 

“No. I didn’t hate you. I didn’t particularly like you, though, but I didn’t know you. And when I got to know you, it was like this part of me finally felt at peace for the first time in years. When I was around you, it didn’t matter that we barely knew each other, I felt like I’d been waiting my entire life to meet you. I was so drawn to you from the moment that you first came over to my house to apologize and drink my shitty tea and I never wanted you to leave and I felt so selfish for that. It didn’t feel right-- that I was looking at this new man and picturing things that I had never pictured with anyone else before.” 

Jughead blinks and he doesn’t even realize that tears have been pooling in his eyes until they start to burn, begging him to let them free. 

“And this is going to sound crazy, but I had this dream. In it, I was standing in a field of flowers.” She caresses his cheek with her thumb and he feels like he can’t move, like he can’t breathe. “Daniel loved flowers, you know? He would always bring me one and tell me the things that it symbolized. And in the dream, he was there and he handed me a Lily of the valley, which can mean a lot of different things, but I knew which one he meant. Do you know its meaning?” He shakes his head slowly. “It means return to happiness. And when I looked at the field of flowers, they had all turned into purple lilacs, which symbolize a new love, and I looked back at him and he was smiling at me and I knew right there and then that he was telling me it was okay. And I know it’s just a dream and it’s silly, but it felt so real to me.” Her voice breaks but she looks happier than he’s ever seen her. “Maybe Daniel was my first love and I’ll always love him and I’m going to miss him for the rest of my life, but Jughead Jones, _you_ are the other half of my soul, and I believe that with everything inside of me.” She’s crying now and he thinks he is too, but he can’t focus on anything aside from her and the words that she’s saying. “Everything that I’ve been through, everything that you’ve been through, all the hurt and pain and anger, has been leading up to this moment, to _right now_.” 

“It’s you and me,” she says softly. “And I think it always has been.” 

He closes his eyes. It’s everything he wants to hear. Everything that he had been feeling towards her; it wasn’t one-sided. She’s been on the exact same page as him this entire time. Despite who he is, despite how terrible he’s been, Betty is sitting in front of him and telling him that she feels everything he feels and she always has. 

He doesn’t believe in love at first sight or soulmates, but what else could possibly explain this? From the moment he first met her, he felt connected to her in a way that was so intense and unlike anything he’d ever felt for anyone. He remembers how important it had been to him that she knew he wasn’t a complete asshole; how he had completely changed and tried to be a better version of himself. He said it was for his fans, for the movie deal, for Veronica, for Archie, but he knows now that it had been for Betty. It had been for a girl with a heart of gold and a smile that sometimes seemed so heartbreaking. It had always been for her.

“I always thought there was something wrong with me,” he says softly as he opens his eyes. Betty looks at him in confusion and he reaches up to pull her hand away from his face, holding it in his own. “When I was younger, my mother left me and my dad, but took my sister with her. I was so young and confused and I remember wondering what was so wrong with me that not even my own mother wanted me. Was I bad? Was I unlovable? Why didn’t she want me? How could she leave me with a drunk who couldn’t even take care of himself?

“Jug,” she says softly, brokenly and he shakes his head. He needs to say this. He needs to tell her. 

“And I became angry and remorseful and I think I carried that with me for the rest of my life. And when I got to Hollywood, I met people who were just as angry as me, and suddenly it was okay to feel that way. I did a lot of things worse than drinking and getting behind a steering wheel. I did things that would make you hate me.” He can remember clubs and being so high that he blacked out for days. He can remember throwing up into his toilet despite the fact that he hadn’t eaten in _days_. He remembers showing up to work high and completely incapable of doing anything. He remembers fighting with crew members for no good reason and firing people who only wanted to help him. “I’m not a good person, Betty. And you’ll figure that out and you’ll change your mind.” 

She opens her mouth to say something, but he cuts her off, because he knows what she’s going to say. 

“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and it scares the living hell out of me because Betty, I could see myself completely falling for you.” 

“I don’t understand,” she says and he can tell that she wants to smile at the words, but she forces herself not to. “Why is that so bad? I’m telling you that I feel the same way, Jughead.” 

“Because—.” 

“And I don’t care about what you did in the past. Whatever you did before I met you, I don’t care. None of it matters. The only thing that matters is you; the you right here, right now.” 

“I care about you too much,” he says, tortured. “I can’t let myself hurt you.”

“Why are you so sure that you’re going to do that?” She asks, voice laced with frustration. 

“Because that’s all I know how to do! All I do is hurt people or push them away. That’s why my mom left me.” Betty’s eyes widen and he knows, he fucking _knows_ that’s not the truth, he’s known it for a long time now, but for some reason, there’s this ugly and dark feeling inside of him that demands to be felt. “It’s why my dad couldn’t tell me he loved me until after I got my big break and started sending him monthly checks. It’s why I wasn’t there for Archie’s wedding; my _oldest friend’s wedding_. It’s why I wasn’t there for Veronica when she needed me, even though I promised her that she would always have me. It’s why you’ll leave me one day too and all I’ll have is this same empty feeling that I’ve had inside of me my entire life.” 

Betty pulls her hands out of his and wraps them around her stomach as she gets up from the bed. Jughead watches her as she paces back and forth against the hardwood floor. She looks troubled and sad and everything he hadn’t ever wanted her to feel, and it’s all because of him. Jesus Christ, they haven’t even done anything and he’s already managed to hurt her. This might be a new low for him. 

He nearly jumps up in surprise when Betty whirls around on him. Before he even knows what’s happening, she’s in his space, so close to him that her lips are millimeters away from his. She could kiss him if she wanted to. He tries not to pay attention to how that thought makes his heart leap in his chest. 

Instead though, she places her hands onto his knees to steady herself. 

“I don’t know why life has been so cruel to you, Jughead. You are a good person with a _good_ heart who deserved better than what he was dealt. I’m sorry your parents let you down and made you feel like you weren’t loved or important, but it’s important to me that you know that isn’t true. ” She squeezes his knees and he has to look away from her, because her stare is so intense that it feels like she can see right through him. “Veronica and Archie love you and whatever you did to them in the past, I know they’ve let it go. Do you know how happy they were that you were going back to Riverdale? They missed you, they were _always_ talking about you, and no matter what you did in the past, they were happy to have their best friend back.”

“Jughead,” she pleads, “look at me, please.” 

He does and she reaches up to wipe at a stray tear of his. “I don’t think you understand what I’m trying to say here. I know that Riverdale isn’t some great place to you and that you don’t consider it home, but you _are_ Riverdale. You’re the very heart and soul of Riverdale. I’ve never seen Veronica and Archie happier than when you were there. And as much as I loved it, it always seemed like something was missing and then you came along and I knew I had been right.” 

“You said before that you had to be sure,” he reminds her, but his voice comes out a little rushed and panicked, like maybe he’s trying to convince himself of something here, but what? That he isn’t good enough? That Betty could never possibly feel anything for him? That even if she does, he would still end up hurting her somehow? “That you hadn’t looked at anyone since Daniel died.” 

“I know this is going to be a shock,” she tells him slowly, “but I lied.” 

“What? Why?” 

“Not about the being sure part, but about the not looking at anyone else part. I didn’t know if you felt something for me and I didn’t want to freak you out, because well, I was scared that maybe it was too soon to feel that way.” 

“You like me,” he breathes out, amazed and more to himself, like he’s barely realizing it. “And you’re sure?”

She smiles at him and he can see the softness in her eyes; feel the gentleness in her touch. “I like you. And I’m sure.” 

“I’m scared,” he admits. 

“I’m not. You won’t hurt me, Jughead. And I won’t hurt you.”

Deep down, he knows she’s right. He can feel it. 

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. When he opens them again, she’s still looking at him with so much adoration in her eyes that he knows he can’t walk away from this. She’s right; he thinks that maybe it was always supposed to be the two of them. 

And he finds himself tired. He’s tired of feeling this way; like he’s bad, like he’s unlovable. Archie and Veronica have told him differently and Betty’s telling him differently right now and he thinks that maybe it’s time he starts listening to them. Maybe it’s time that he stops holding himself back from the things—the _person_ — that he wants. Maybe it’s time that he finally allows himself to have true happiness and to chase it. 

He thinks that he would spend forever chasing happiness if that happiness was Betty Cooper.

“Can I kiss you?” He asks softly. 

She smiles, slow and small at first, until it becomes a full on grin that’s illuminated by the moonlight. He’d once thought she was beautiful like the sun, but now he knows that’s not exactly right. She’s like the celestial beauty of the moonlight; heavenly and almost mysterious, and his favorite part of the day, the part when he feels like he can finally just be himself. 

“Yes,” she tells him. “Yes, you can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tehehehehe .... 
> 
> thoughts? let me knooooow. <3   
> and u can now find me on tumblr @ tk-strand. let’s be friends !


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hi hi. i just want to say thank you for all the lovely comments you guys leave on this story. i know that i kind of suck at responding to comments, but i read them all and they make my entire day and really help with this writing process. :'))
> 
> this chapter introduces bret and donna, because i absolutely had to and a few trigger warnings come with this news, so if you want to know what those are, please scroll down to the bottom notes and i'll tell you what they are! and for those who don't want to know, or just don't want spoilers, ignore this. c: 
> 
>  
> 
> huge thank you to my darling pal, jenna, for listening to me scream about this chapter and whine about how i don't know how to write. you're the greatest pal i could ever ask for! 
> 
> ((no beta so all mistakes are mine and i'm sorry))
> 
> FRIENDS. WE GOT A WILD ONE. Seriously, this chapter is 19k long and I'm so sorry but I really did not want to drag this California storyline through four chapters, so... grab a snack, lay down in bed, get comfy and ENJOOOOOOOY. <3

In Hollywood, a kiss is just a kiss. You kiss your coworker almost every single day, sometimes over and over again, until you finally get the scene you’re shooting right. You kiss countless people for different things; shows, movies, commercials, photo ops. It’s part of the job. It’s impersonal. There’s nothing special about it. 

Kissing Betty Cooper is absolutely life changing. 

He has to tilt his head up to kiss her, because she’s still standing over him, and he likes it. It almost feels like she’s the one leading the kiss and it’s nice, it’s _different_. He moves slowly and she moves even slower. He can feel her hand shaking from where she’s trying to stay balanced on his knee and he wants, more than anything, for her to not feel nervous. 

“You’re sure?” He whispers when their lips are all but connected. He can feel his heart trying to burst its way out of his chest, but forces himself to remain completely still and calm.

“Kiss me,” she says instead of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’. “Please.” 

So he does. 

He presses his lips against hers softly and instead of doing anything, they stay there for a few seconds, frozen to the spot as they get over the initial shock of it. 

Her lips are soft and timid against his, like she’s not sure what she’s supposed to do now. And Jughead… God, there is so much that he wants to do right now. His heart is racing and his hands are starting to shake and he feels like he’s floating and falling all at the same time. He wants to wrap himself around Betty, until they’re so intertwined that they can’t tell each other apart. He wants to press her into the mattress and kiss every inch of her body as he becomes better acquainted with it. He wants, he wants, he wants. 

He doesn’t do any of that, though. He moves his lips against hers instead, gentle and slow, and Betty follows his lead. He has to wonder if this is her first kiss since the accident, because he can feel her nerves running through her body. It’s starting to unnerve _him_. 

“Betty,” he whispers against her lips, “is this okay?” 

“Yes. I’m sorry,” she says, and she sounds embarrassed. “I don’t know what to do.” 

“Kiss me,” he echoes to her. “ _Please_.” 

And before he can blink, she throws her arms around his shoulders and presses her lips to his so forcefully that he falls back into the mattress. He can smell her shampoo and body wash on the sheets and her hair is a golden curtain around his face. She’s _everywhere_ and it’s intoxicating and he _loves it_. 

His arms wrap around her body and he pulls her closer against him, which he hadn’t even been sure was possible. He’s shirtless and her night shirt is so thin that he can feel her nipples harden against his chest. She’s straddling his leg and he pushes it into her without even really thinking about what he’s doing until she’s moaning into his mouth. The sound drives him fucking _insane_ and he presses his leg into her even harder as she grinds down on it. 

The kiss is damn near bruising now and he brings his hands up to her hair, wrapping his fingers in the strands as he holds her against him. He can’t get enough of her. He knows that he never wants to go a day without kissing her now. For the first time in years, he feels alive. 

He rolls them over so that he’s on top of her now and she giggles at the sudden movement, causing him to laugh along with her. 

“Nice move,” she says against his mouth and he just grins down at her before kissing her again. She’s smiling into the kiss and it makes his heart swell. As stupid as it sounds, he had never known that kissing could be like _this_.

He pulls away from her lips to kiss her on the cheek and then down to her neck. He doesn’t even really pay attention to what it is that he’s doing. He just knows that he loves the way her skin feels against his lips; warm and soft and familiar. 

The v of her shirt dips down low and he kisses down her chest hungrily until she pushes at him lightly, both of them panting as they look at each other. 

“Sorry,” he says, “too much?” 

She looks away from him as she answers. “Um, no. No, I’m sorry. Is it okay if we just… if we don’t do _that_ tonight? Or at least not right now? I mean, I want to! I want--.” 

“Woah,” Jughead says with a puff of laughter, “Betty, you only have to tell me no. You never need to explain why you don’t want to do something, okay? I only need to hear you say no and then it’s full stop.” He brings her hand up to his lips and places a chaste kiss to it. “All I want is for you to be comfortable and open with me, okay?” 

“Okay,” she says quietly. “I really do want to, though. I’ve thought about it a hundred times. I just don’t think tonight is the best night considering I’m kind of a mess from the nightmare.” 

“A mess? Nah. You’re perfect.” He’s grinning at the idea of her thinking about sleeping with him, but he won’t bring that up just yet. 

“Please tell me that just because we admitted our feelings you’re not going to suddenly become some cheeseball. I really don’t think I can handle that.” 

“A cheeseball?” He snorts. “No, no. Absolutely not. In fact, you’re right. You look like a complete mess right now. I’m so turned off, it’s insane.” 

Betty laughs and hits him on his chest and he grins as he grabs her hand and holds it there. He means it; he is so fine with them not doing anything tonight. He’s still on cloud nine from the fact that she likes him too--he doesn’t think there’s anything that could ruin this for him. 

Betty yawns and he smiles. “Getting tired again?” 

“Yeah. I’m really sorry for waking you up.” 

“Oh, my God. Seriously do not apologize for this. I think despite the original situation, things worked out pretty well, didn’t they?” He gives her a suggestive look and she lets out a little laugh and rolls her eyes. “Seriously, though, Betty. I’m always going to be here for you, even through the darker times, okay? You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” she whispers. He leans down and places a tender kiss against her lips. “Can I ask you something though?” 

“Of course you can.” 

“Could you sleep here with me tonight? I really don’t want to be alone right now.” 

“You don’t even need to ask.” He moves himself off of her and allows her to settle back into bed before he copies her, taking the left side of the mattress. 

For a few minutes, they just lay there silently side-by-side but not quite touching each other. Jughead doesn‘t really know what to do in this situation, so he just waits for Betty to do or say something. After five minutes, he assumes that she’s just going to sleep like this and he closes his eyes to try and do the same, when he feels an arm wrap itself around his middle and a head lay itself on his chest lightly. He moves so that his arm wraps around her back lazily. 

“I don’t think I want to walk the red carpet with you,” Betty says quietly. The admission comes out of nowhere and Jughead can’t lie, it hurts a little to hear. He hadn’t expected her to walk it with him, but the rejection still stings either way. “I just… I don’t think I’m ready for the world to know about us. I want us to be able to just _be us_ without worrying about what people are going to say.”

“Yeah? You want me all to yourself?” He jokes. 

“Maybe I do,” she admits and Jughead smiles and kisses the top of her head. “Does that upset you?” 

He wants to lie and say that he’s completely fine with it, because that’s probably the better thing to do, but he doesn’t want to lie to her, even if it’s something as small and stupid as this. He just kissed her for the first time twenty minutes ago. It doesn’t seem right to start a relationship off with lying. 

“I never expected you to want to walk it with me,” he says, “but uh, it still hurts a little to hear. Don’t worry!” He continues quickly when he feels Betty start to move. “It’s fine. I’m honestly already over it. I think it was just the hearing it aloud part, but I would never want you to do something that would make you feel uncomfortable. Besides, you’re right. It would be nice to keep this thing just between the two of us for now.” 

“You’re so understanding. It’s kind of incredible.” 

He doesn’t tell her that he’s so fucking scared of ruining this thing between them, that he would probably go along with whatever Betty wants just to make sure that she’s happy. For some reason, he doesn’t think that would go over well with her. 

“Are you excited?” He asks her instead. “I could probably introduce you to a few people that’ll be there, so if you’re actually starstruck by anyone, now is a good time to tell me.” 

“Oh! Like Sweet Pea?” Jughead pinches her side and she yelps out before laughing. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” 

“Uh huh, sure. He’ll probably be there. He lives for horror shit and I think he’s friends with someone in the cast. I can’t remember.” 

Betty hums. “Are you friends with anyone in it?” 

He shakes his head. “I honestly don’t even know who’s starring in it. You said that you had been wanting to see it though, right? Do you know?” 

“Um, yeah. Bret Weston Wallis is playing the main character, I know that much. Do you know him?” 

Jughead’s entire body goes rigid. Bret Weston Wallis? There’s no fucking way. Did Matt seriously not mention this to him? _Well, why would he?_ His subconscious bites back. _You’re the one that decided to keep everything that happened a secret._ A secret because it didn’t fucking matter. It was stupid shit when they were younger and Jughead was first starting out on the scene and didn’t know better about who to trust. It didn’t need to be made a big deal, but fuck if Jughead doesn’t immediately see red at even the _thought_ of the other guy. 

“Jug?” Betty asks when he’s been quiet for a while. “Are you asleep?”

“No, no, sorry. Uh, yeah I know him. Well, I used to at least. I haven’t talked to him in years now.” 

“Oh. Do you think you could introduce me? I saw him in that movie _Our Last Night_ and he was really good.” 

Jughead closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. This is just his fucking luck really. Everybody loves stupid fucking Bret, because nobody knows the real him; not like Jughead does. The only reason he even knows is because he’d been his roommate for about six months when he first started acting. He thinks that might be the biggest regret of his Hollywood life so far, because it had been a fucking complete nightmare. He _still_ dreams of decking him every now and then. 

“Sure,” Jughead says, because he knows damn well there’s no way he’s going to be able to avoid Bret. The other guy has always loved playing this stupid game with Jughead. It’s like he craves Jughead’s attention, and more so his anger and the way only he seems to know how to make him lash out. As soon as Bret knows he’s there, all bets are off. It’s dumb luck that he’s been able to avoid him for the past couple of years, but luck always runs out. 

“I’m excited,” she says, voice drowsy. “Thank you… for bringing me.” 

“Wouldn’t want anyone else here with me,” he says softly as her breathing evens out. It’s not long before he’s asleep as well, a small and dark cloud hovering over him and preparing him for the storm he knows will come tomorrow. 

.

.

.

His house is an absolute nightmare by the time twelve comes around. 

The entire team is gathered around in his living room area, which has now been turned into a chaotic mess of dresses and suits and mirrors and makeup and shoes. 

“She would look darling in green,” one of the stylists, Sylvia, says. 

“No, no! Imagine her in the red gown? Flawless,” Antonio argues. 

“The red gown?” Clarice yelps. “It’s a horror movie premiere! Not the bloody Met Gala. She isn’t even walking the red carpet. She just needs to look presentable. Put her in the Dolce and Gabbana. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s just enough without being _too_ much.” 

“Can’t I just wear something I bought?” Betty whispers to Jughead. “I mean, Dolce and Gabbana? I've never even owned their perfume.” 

Jughead laughs. “It’s better to just go along with what they say. Besides, you’ll look beautiful in that dress.” He’d been eyeing it since they first pulled up with the wardrobe. It’s a soft pink color and he can already picture her in it. 

“Is this all necessary though?” She frowns this time. “It feels like a little much.” 

“You’re right. It definitely is, but that’s Hollywood. It’s all a little too much.” Her frown deepens and he hurries to try and make her feel better about this. “We don’t need to go, Betty. If you’re starting to feel uneasy about it just tell me and we’ll stay home. Matt can get over it.” 

She smiles at him and shakes her head. “No, I want to go, trust me. I guess I just need to get used to this, at least for tonight. I won’t have to talk to anyone though, right?” 

“Absolutely not.” 

She nods, obviously satisfied with that answer. Before they can say anything else, Clarice is yelling for the two of them to sit down in their chairs so they can get ready. Jughead throws Betty a wink and tries to picture her living this lifestyle with him forever. 

He forces the ugly feeling in his chest away when he realizes that he can’t. 

.

.

.

“You look beautiful.” 

“Jughead, that’s the hundredth time you’ve said that.” 

“Okay, well lets make it a hundred and one.” 

Betty groans and pushes him away as he kisses her cheek, but she’s smiling and rolling her eyes fondly so he’ll take it. 

They’re in the backseat of the Escalade, so they don’t have complete privacy from his driver, which is a real shame if you ask Jughead because he would love to have even just five seconds alone with Betty before they have to get down. 

“You nervous?” He asks her as he takes her hand into his. 

“Little bit,” she admits. “I don’t want to be, but it’s kind of hard. I really wish I had my lucky sweater right now.” 

They laugh at the joke, but Jughead can feel the nervousness in hers. 

“What if I gave you something?” He asks her. “Something that was all mine, so when you’re not by my side, you’ll still have a little piece of me with you?” He almost expects her to make some kind of smart remark about how mushy he’s being, but instead she just nods slowly and whispers a ‘please’. 

He reaches down for his hand and pulls off the David Yurman ring that he wears on his pinky. 

“It’s not exactly your size, but I figure you can wear it on your thumb and it’ll be okay.” He slides it onto her finger and sure enough, it fits well enough that she won’t have to worry about it sliding off during the night. “No doubt Clarice will be annoyed at me ruining your perfect look with my ring, but--.” 

“It’s so pretty,” Betty says softly. “Are those supposed to be waves?” 

Jughead nods. “Yeah. That’s why I like it so much. It reminds me of the ocean and the black band makes me think of the waves during the night. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” 

“Will you show me?” 

“Of course I will.” 

Betty reaches up and places her hand against his cheek. The cool metal of the ring feels nice against his otherwise warm face. She leans forward and kisses him deeply, like she wants to taste every single bit of him. He closes his eyes and kisses her back just as passionately, trying to convey to her just how much she means to him, just how much he wants her here with him always. He feels like he would do nearly anything to make sure that she wouldn’t go anywhere, and he wonders if that should worry him or not. 

He doesn’t have time to figure out an answer before their car is coming to a stop, pulling Betty and Jughead away from each other. 

“Mr. Jones, we’re about five cars away from the dropoff point.” 

“Thank you.” He turns to Betty. The fear is back on her face and Jughead kisses her forehead. “When we get down from the car, you’re going to go with the woman standing by with the clipboard. She’s going to take you directly into the theatre through a side entrance. Once you’re inside you can hang around and get something to eat or mingle or anything you want. There isn’t any press allowed inside, so you’ll be fine to do as you wish. Otherwise you can ask to be seated and you’ll just tell them that you’re my plus one and you’ll be escorted to our seats.” 

“Wow,” Betty breathes, looking a little starstruck now. “And um, how long until you’re with me again?” 

He smiles at the question. “Only about twenty minutes. It’s really quick. You probably won’t even realize that I’m gone.” 

“Doubtful, Hollywood. Very doubtful.” 

“Okay, Mr. Jones, you’re up.” 

Jughead nods and then turns back to Betty. “One more kiss?” 

She grins before kissing him. Despite her nerves, he can feel how happy she is right now and he can’t help but to smile along with her. 

“Okay,” he whispers against her lips, “see you inside.” 

The car door is opened for them and Betty gives him one last look before she’s whisked away and as he steps out onto the red carpet, a hundred cameras on him as they all shout his name.

.

.

.

“Jughead! Jughead, where have you been?” 

“Jughead, is it true that you have a new girlfriend? Is she here tonight?” 

“Jughead, over here! 

“Over here!” 

“Jughead, please! One question!” 

 

True to Matt’s word, Anastasia is working tonight and she greets him with a warm smile and friendly hug once she catches sight of him. 

“Hey, Jug! How have you been?” 

“I’m good,” he says before pulling away. “You look gorgeous tonight, Anastasia.” 

“Oh stop it, you flirt.” She hits him with her microphone playfully. “Matt already talked to me about the questions, but I take it that your friend won’t be joining?” 

He shakes his head. “No. She’s not one for all of this.”

“Can’t say I blame her. Okay, well, you ready to get this show on the road?”

“Ready when you are.” 

She nods to her camera-man before counting to three and turning back to Jughead with a grin. 

“Welcome back, everyone! I’m here with Jughead Jones and let me just say that I think I speak for everyone when I say, it is so good to finally have you back home.” 

“Thanks, it’s really good to be home.” It sounds way too forced, too much like a lie. He doubts anyone is going to notice, though. 

“You were back in your hometown, right?” She asks, true to the script. “How was that?” 

“It was really good. I haven’t been back in a while, so it was nice to be able to see everyone again and really reconnect with them.” 

Anastasia nods happily. “Tell me, who are you most excited to see tonight?” 

He can tell her who he sure as shit _isn’t_ excited to see. He doesn’t say that, though. Instead he remembers Matt telling him earlier that some up and coming actress named Midge Klump is starring in it for her first breakout role. 

“Midge Klump,” he answers, although he has no clue who the fuck she is. “My money’s on her being the final girl.” 

“You and me both!” She reaches out to touch the jacket he’s wearing. “I love this velvet look you have going on tonight. Who are you wearing?” 

“Ralph Lauren.” It’s such a boring question. He’ll never understand why anyone cares about who he decides to wear, but it’s an easy and harmless question so it’s fine. 

“Well, you look amazing.” 

“Thank you. You look beautiful too.” She rolls her eyes playfully and smiles at him.

“Well, thank you for catching up with me! I hope you enjoy the movie.” 

He nods and brings her in for a hug and kisses her cheek. “Thank you, Anastasia. It was good talking to you.” 

They say their pleasantries and then he’s gone, leaving her to talk to the next A-Lister. 

As far as interviews go, it had been fine. He’s thankful that Matt had pre approved questions for him. It’s a lot better than when he’s ambushed about future projects, his relationships, and whatever other bullshit they ask that gives him anxiety. 

He glances down at his Rolex and notes that it’s been about thirty minutes since he’s last seen Betty. Usually he would stick around on the red carpet and do a few more interviews or catch up with people, but right now he’s just ready to get back to her. He’s already feeling a little anxious at the idea of not being with her, which he knows is ridiculous but he can’t help it. 

He makes his way over to the theatre and tries his best to avoid conversation. Most people are just greeting him, not caring in the slightest to actually talk to him, but he doesn’t care so much when it means that he can hurry up and get to Betty quicker. 

The theatre is already packed. He sees a lot of familiar faces and a lot of strangers, but he doesn’t see Betty. His eyes rake over the entire room, picking out every single blonde and trying to find out where the hell his is. 

He’s just about to reach for his phone to call her when he catches sight of curled blonde hair and a light pink dress. Almost instantly it’s as if all the nerves fade from his body and now he’s nothing but happy as he sees Betty. He can’t see her face from here, but she’s talking to someone and she doesn’t seem tense or anything like that. He’s glad to see that she had decided to mingle with people, but he hadn’t expected anything else. She gets along with anyone and everyone. 

He walks over to her, smile on his face and mind feeling at ease, and then he pauses as he sees who she’s with. 

A curtain of dark brown hair is flipped over a bare pale shoulder and blue eyes look up and latch onto his. 

“Jughead,” she calls out as soon as she sees him, causing Betty to turn around and smile happily at him. She doesn’t look bothered at all and he’s glad for that. 

He walks over to the two girls and wraps an arm around Betty as soon as he reaches her. 

“Donna,” he greets, an edge to his voice. Donna Sweett smiles at him and she reminds him of a shark in that moment. He should have known that she would be here too. After all, she had never been able to get off of Bret’s hip. She’d been piggybacking off him since before Jughead had met the two of them, and he’s sure that won’t change anytime soon. “It’s good to see you.” 

“Isn’t it?” She gushes and Jughead glares at her, which just causes her to brighten up even more. He’ll never understand how he didn’t see it at first; the way that her and Bret never seemed to actually smile, but smirk. How he didn’t notice how everything they said always seemed to have a double meaning. How they were never truly happy unless they were high and even then, their happiness came at the expense of others. Maybe he’d been just as bad back then, but even then he had still known that he was a human with feelings somewhere deep down. He’s not sure the same can be said for Donna and Bret. “I didn’t even know that you were dating this beauty right here. I just came up to tell her that I love her dress and then we started talking. Imagine my surprise when she tells me that she’s here with you.”

Jughead gives her a tightlipped smile, but doesn’t say anything. 

“Why didn’t you tell me the two of you were friends?” Betty asks, obviously amused by this entire moment. “I’d be doing some serious bragging if I had Donna Sweett as a friend,” she jokes. 

Donna laughs gleefully at that and Jughead thinks that it might even be genuine. She’s always loved having attention on her and being praised. He remembers that. The way she used to always look to him, wanting him to tell her she was doing good or wanting him to lead her. When he wouldn’t, she would turn to Bret, and it was a never ending cycle between the three of them.

“It’s been a long time,” he says, not exactly answering Betty’s question. 

“We miss you,” Donna tells him and he clenches his fist. “Remember the days when we would all go out together every weekend?” 

“Something tells me you two still do it without me.” 

“Oh, sure, but it’s not the same.” She turns to Betty, who now looks a little confused. “Jughead used to be _such_ a partier.” 

“Donna,” he warns, but she just grins back at him. 

“It was always so fun watching him and Bret make their little bets over who--.” 

“Donna.” His voice is as sharp as a whip, a threat in that one word, and Donna immediately stops and looks at him with her mouth sealed tight. “It was good to see you, but Betty and I are going to take our seats already.” 

Donna nods once, but as Jughead maneuvers Betty towards the theatre, she stops them. 

“There’s a party afterwards,” she calls out. “At Fantasy Island. You should come.” 

Fantasy. Of fucking course it’s at Fantasy. Jughead wonders briefly if Bret had planned for him to come to this thing from the very beginning, but he’s just being ridiculous. Fantasy Island is one of the biggest nightclubs in the city. Just because it had been “their” place back then doesn’t mean anything except that Bret and Donna don’t know how to move on, which he was already sure of. 

“That was weird,” Betty says once they’re away from the majority of people. “Were the two of you close or something?” 

“Or something.” When he doesn’t elaborate, Betty just nods, not asking for a further explanation and he’s grateful. 

“Well, we don’t have to go to that party tonight.” 

He sneaks a glance at her and he can see on her face that she wants to go. He can’t blame her for it either. The idea has to be enticing to someone who’s never lived this kind of life and he knows that there’s no way he’s going to take that away from her. 

“No, no. We’re going. It’s fine,” he tells her and it’s the truth. It will be fine. He knows how to play their game. He knows how to keep them satisfied. He can do it for one night. “You should go to a proper Hollywood party at least once.” 

“Oh, really?” 

“Mhm,” he nods. “Well, when you’re dating me you should.” 

Betty looks surprised at his words and he’s worried that maybe he’s overstepped, but then she smiles and laces their arms together. 

“How was the red carpet?” She asks.

“Boring. Typical. It was okay. Anastasia’s great.” 

Betty just nods and someone comes up to them to lead them to their seats, cutting their conversation short. 

“What did she mean though?” Betty asks quietly once they’re sitting down. “About your bets?” 

He cringes. How the fuck is he supposed to tell her the truth? This is exactly what he had been talking about last night. There are pieces of him that he wants to keep hidden away from everyone, but especially from Betty. These are the pieces of him that could make her second guess who she was starting to date. 

“Just silly little things,” he says lightly. It’s a lie. A big one too. There is no part of him that wants to admit the truth to her. “I don’t even really remember now.” Another lie. He can remember everything that came out of those stupid bets. 

“Oh,” she says quietly and he knows that she doesn’t believe a word he’s saying. He hates this. They’ve been around his past for less than an hour and he’s already lying to her and feeling the way he used to before he went back to Riverdale; angry, annoyed, like he’s on a short fuse. 

He hates that as soon as he comes back here, it’s like every single bad thing that he thought he’d left behind is demanding that they be brought back up to the surface. He knows that he doesn’t have anyone else to blame but himself. He hung out with the people that he did. He made all the wrong choices with all the wrong people and it didn’t matter how hard he tried to act like he didn’t, his past refuses to be forgotten and he had always known that he would have to face it again; face Bret and Donna again. He just didn’t think it would be whenever he was finally fucking happy with someone who is _good_.

Can he catch a break just this once? 

“You never told me you were a fan of Donna,” he says, trying to lighten the mood. Despite whatever feelings he may have towards the other girl, he can tell that Betty was over the moon about talking to her. He really doesn’t want to ruin that for her. 

“It never came up!” Her mood is instantly lifted and he smiles, telling himself that he can handle playing nice for one night if it makes Betty this happy. “But yeah. I saw her in _The Perfect Stranger_ and then proceeded to watch like, everything she’s ever been in. Kind of surreal to see her here tonight.” 

Jughead nods. “Yeah, her and Bret are best friends, so if he’s somewhere then you can assume Donna’s close by.” There had been a point, when he first met them, that he wondered if maybe there was something there besides friendship. The two of them were so in sync that sometimes it felt like they were carved from the same stone. That was before he realized that neither of them knew what it was like to love someone. Hell, he’s not sure they’ve ever actually loved anything. 

“Why don’t you hang out with them anymore?” 

He shrugs. “Guess we just kind of drifted apart. We never really had much in common.” Yeah, that’s an understatement. The only thing they had in common was their love for partying, but even that had been something they ended up disagreeing on in the end. 

“Oh. That’s a shame.” 

He hums in agreement, but doesn’t even try to say anything back to that, because he knows anything he says will show how he really feels about all of this. 

“I’m really excited to see this,” Betty says happily as she reaches down for his hand. Their fingers lace through each other’s and Jughead squeezes tightly, never wanting to forget the feeling of her hand in his. “I hope it’s actually scary, though. I hate when movies say they’re scary but it’s really just a bunch of jump scares, you know?” 

“Mhm,” he agrees. “I actually don’t even know what this movie is about.” 

“Are you serious?” He nods and she gives him an exasperated look. “It’s about a bunch of college students who ‘accidentally’ kill this new student during a party that was sort of a hazing ritual. Anyway, turns out the kid was some kind of Satanist and he ends up coming back and getting his revenge on them.” 

Jughead’s face curls up. “I’m sorry, _what_? That sounds fucking ridiculous.” 

“Well, yes. Do I need to remind you that you were in a movie where a guy fell in love with his car?” 

His mouth drops open. “I—. First of all, I would like to go on record and say that I wasn’t the guy who fell in love with his car! I was his best friend.” 

“You were still in the movie though, weren’t you?” She teases. 

“Have you been watching my stuff?” He questions, curious. That was one of his first movie roles and his part hadn’t even been that big. 

“Absolutely not.” 

He looks at her suspiciously but doesn’t say anything more. Instead, they spend the rest of their time talking about different celebrities in the crowd. Betty gets a little flustered at a few faces and when Jughead says that he’ll introduce her if she wants, she nearly passes out right then and there. It’s casual and it’s fun and it’s probably the most fun he’s ever had at one of these things. 

After a while, the cast and crew stand in the front of the theatre to introduce the movie. Jughead can’t help but notice that Bret is very much absent for the introduction and he’s curious as to why. He knows that he’s here, because he’d never miss a chance to get his face photographed and he’s too much of an arrogant ass to miss his own premiere. Huh. Maybe he’s in the restroom or something. It doesn’t matter, because they keep it short and simple and in the blink of an eye, the movie is starting and the theatre goes completely black. 

Betty squeezes Jughead’s hand and sends him one last excited grin before turning her attention back to the big screen in front of her. 

.

.

.

Twenty minutes after they’ve left the theatre, Betty is _still_ gushing about the movie. In her eyes, it’s one of the best horror movies of the past decade. It had been good, he’ll give it that, but he’d seen the ending coming from a mile away. Still, it had been enjoyable and he can see why it was getting all kinds of good reviews. 

It had been a little weird at first--watching Bret play the kind hearted character who was just trying to save his friends. It was a stark comparison to real life, but then again, there’s a reason he’s an actor after all. 

He’d been happy to see that his prediction had been right and Midge Klump’s character, Hannah, had been the final girl and the only one to survive. She’d given a great performance and afterwards he had noticed how everyone was crowding around her, reading to congratulate and praise her for the role. It made him happy. He always enjoyed watching newcomers get a big break, especially when it was rightfully deserved. 

“Why haven’t you ever done a horror movie?” Betty asks him once they’re safely in their car. 

“Uh, I don’t know. I guess there was never one that I wanted to do. I’ve also never done a romance or romcom. I don’t think I’ve done a comedy either.” He was a guest star in a sitcom for like, five episodes so he’s not sure he can really count that. 

“Have you ever done anything besides periodical dramas and action thrillers?” 

“What can I say? It’s my typecast.” He looks over at her again. “How do you know what I’ve been in? I’m really starting to think that you’ve been researching me, Cooper.” 

She just rolls her eyes, but doesn’t respond and he knows that he’s at least a little right. He tries not to grin at that, but it’s hard. The whole idea is so endearing to him. 

“So are we going to Bret’s party after all?” Betty asks. 

“Yeah,” he says, trying to sound excited. “We’re just going to stop by my place real quick and change.” He highly doubts Betty would be comfortable in her dress and honestly? Maybe he’s also trying to stall this thing for as long as he can. 

.

.

.

Fantasy is in full swing by the time they show up. The line to get in nearly wraps around the corner of the street and Jughead does not envy the people standing in it. They cut through the VIP line, where the bouncer lets them in without a question once he sees Jughead. 

The inside is just as bad as the outside. There are people everywhere, but at least the club is big enough to where it doesn’t feel so suffocating.

He places his arm onto the small of Betty’s back and guides her throughout the swarm of people. He doesn’t see any familiar faces yet, so he knows that everyone must be in the VIP section already. He makes his way to the usual spot that he, Donna, and Bret used to sit at and isn’t surprised in the slightest to see them there. 

He pauses for a moment as he finally lays eyes on Bret. For some reason, an ugly feeling curls up inside of him and his heart starts to beat a little faster as he looks at the blonde man. He’s grinning from ear-to-ear but it doesn’t look genuine. It looks manic. It looks like he’s got some kind of ulterior motives, which, if Jughead knows him at all, might definitely be the case. 

Donna isn’t with him, but Jughead has no doubt in his mind that she’s close by somewhere. 

“Wow,” Betty breathes out and it’s at that specific moment that Bret glances in their direction and then does a double take once he sees just who’s here.

The grin somehow grows, if that’s even possible, and even from here Jughead can see that glint in Bret’s eyes that once used to excite him. Now it just puts him on guard, ready to go off at any given moment, should he need to. 

Bret all but pushes the man he had been talking to away as he makes his way over to Betty and Jughead. 

“Well, well, well,” he draws out. This close up, Jughead can see the way his pupils are blown and his eyes are bloodshot. He’s high. Great. “If it isn’t Forsythe Jones. It’s been a long time.” 

Not long enough. “Yeah, man. It has.” 

Bret nods slowly as he looks him up and down like he’s sizing him up. “Well, come here.” He reaches out for Jughead and gives him a quick hug that feels completely wrong. “Everyone’s here. Fangs, Kevin, Sweet Pea. And uh, a special guest.” 

Jughead doesn’t say anything, but he looks towards Betty and that’s when Bret seems to realize that he’s not alone. 

“Oh,” he says as if he’s surprised, but Jughead knows there’s no way that Donna didn’t tell him about Betty. “And who’s this gorgeous girl? Don’t tell me you’re with Jones. You could do a lot better, doll.” 

Betty laughs, but it’s short and sounds a little forced. 

“I’m Betty,” she introduces herself. “It’s really nice to meet you. I’m a big fan.” 

“Well, of course you are.” He raises his chin with pride and Jughead rolls his eyes. “I’m Bret, but I’m sure you knew that already. Did you go to the premiere tonight?” 

“Yeah! I loved it. It’s honestly a new favorite of mine.” 

“Really? Well, I’ll drink to that. Come on over. You can meet everyone.” 

Betty opens her mouth, probably to say that she isn’t really the drinking type, but Bret throws an arm around her shoulders, pushing Jughead out of the way without a care in the world. He’s seething, but he’s not going to start something right here when it’ll just get him painted in a bad light again. He also doesn’t want to ruin anything for Betty. The last thing she needs is to have to deal with him going off the rails. 

So he shuts up, curls his hands into fists to stop himself from attacking Bret, and follows them over to the table. 

Fangs jumps up and cheers once he sees Jughead and pulls himself away from his model boyfriend, Kevin Keller, to give him a hug. 

“Jug! Hey, man. You just dipped on us. What the hell have you been up to?” 

“Vacation,” he answers shortly. “What have you been up to?” 

“Well, my show got axed so there’s that, but they want me to do some baseball biopic so that’s something.” He’s grinning like nothing in the world could possibly bother him right now and Jughead wonders just how drunk he is. 

“Well, that’s good, man.” 

“Hey, everyone,” Bret exclaims, “come meet Betty.” And just like that, everyone is suddenly circled around her, complimenting her on her outfit and asking her if she’s the one who’s finally broken through Jughead’s walls. He knows they mean well, at least Fangs and Kevin do, but he doesn’t feel comfortable with all that attention on her. He moves himself to her side and wraps an arm around her waist to bring her closer to him. Bret watches him with a smirk and Jughead doesn’t have the energy to try and figure out what the hell that’s about. 

“Back off,” he tells everyone lightly. “You guys act like you’ve never seen a girl before.” 

“A girl? Sure,” Sweet Pea says from where he’s sitting on a couch, arms and legs spread out like the giant he is. “But a random girl that you’ve brought around after going MIA for a while? Now that’s something new.” 

“I wasn’t MIA. I was in Riverdale.” 

“Same difference. It’s nice to meet you though, Betty. You’re definitely… different.” 

“Different?” She asks, her smile starting to fall. 

“Just not the type of girl Jones usually hangs around with,” Sweet Pea says gently. “But maybe that’s a good thing.” 

“Better than that whore you were sleeping around with,” Bret teases and Sweet Pea cackles as he flips him off. Jughead feels the moment that Betty flinches at the harsh word. He suddenly wishes that he had suggested they just stay in and not come here tonight. As it is, he’s already trying to think of a lie to get them out of here. 

“So anyway Jones,” Bret says as he turns his attention back towards him, “how long you down in Riverdale for? Hollywood ain’t the same without you, man.” 

Oh, he’s sure. He’s sure that Bret has been sitting around, waiting for him to finally come back into his circle. 

“I don’t know. I was supposed to be down for two weeks, but things have been really good down there.” 

“How good can they possibly be?” Fangs asks. “It’s the middle of nowhere. There’s no way that you’re managing to stay alive down there. I mean, do they even have any clubs?” 

“Yeah,” Sweet Pea speaks up, “we know you, Jug. There’s no way you could ever last in a place like that without going crazy.” 

He stiffens and makes sure to keep his attention off of Betty. He can only wonder what she’s thinking about him right now. He hadn’t really taken into account that everyone at this party knows the worst parts of him, parts of him that Betty doesn’t even know exist. 

“I don’t know,” he says, keeping his voice as steady as he can. “It’s been nice, ya know? I don’t have to worry about being in the tabloids for something as simple as going to buy a coffee, so that’s great.” 

“I hear ya,” Fangs nods. “Small towns are always good for one thing at least.” 

“Betty,” Bret says, voice as sweet as honey, “do you want a drink? They have great Long Island Iced Teas here. One usually puts me out.” Jughead tries not to think about why the fuck Bret would offer Betty a drink that would “put her out”. 

“Oh, no thank you,” she says kindly. “I don’t really drink.” 

“No worries,” he says, not at all put off by her admission. “You just seem really tense right now. Something else maybe?” He gestures down towards the table and for the first time since they’ve been there, Jughead notices five perfect white lines on the glass table in front of everywhere. 

Cocaine. 

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” Jughead snaps, causing Bret to frown and Betty to startle in his arms. 

“Calm down, Jones. I was just--.” 

“I know what you were _just_ doing. Don’t offer my girlfriend fucking cocaine again.” 

Bret’s eyes widen, but he holds his arms up in surrender and Jughead looks down to Betty. 

“It’s okay, Jughead,” she says, looking awkward and unsure. “I’m sure it’s probably weird that I’m _not_ doing it. He didn’t know.” 

Of course. Of fucking course she’s trying to defend Bret. The guy offers her coke and somehow Jughead is still made out to be the bad guy here. It’s honestly incredible. 

“No, no,” Bret tells Betty. “He’s right. I’m sorry, Betty. Forsythe is so obsessed with this stuff, I thought maybe you were into it too.” 

Oh. My. Fucking. 

Jughead sees red as he looks at Bret and for the first time in a long time, he pictures himself bashing Bret’s head in with a rock. 

“Oh,” she says, confused now as she glances at Jughead, but he’s too busy glaring at Bret who’s smiling sweetly. Fucking asshole. “I didn’t—.” 

“Are you thirsty?” Bret asks her. “They have really good Shirley Temples here.” 

“Um, yes. Thank you. That would be nice.” 

Bret nods and walks off.

“I didn’t know you did that,” Betty whispers. She doesn’t sound upset or disgusted, she just sounds confused and a little sad. Jughead doesn’t understand why she would feel sad about it. 

“Are you kidding?” Fangs butts in and Jughead notices that he’s sniffling more than usual. “This is always Jughead’s pick of poison.” Kevin elbows Fangs and whispers something to him that Jughead can’t hear, but Fangs doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest. 

Jughead, because he’s _really_ trying not to lose his cool tonight, just turns his attention back towards Betty. 

“I haven’t done it in a while,” he tells her.

She frowns. “How long is a while?” 

“Its been over a year now.” It’s not like he has some great story about it either. He didn’t go to rehab or get help or overdose or anything like that. He’d woken up in the middle of the night once to a nosebleed that wouldn’t stop and that’s when he realized that maybe it was time he just quit. And it had worked out for him. Until now. “Do you think less of me?” 

Betty’s eyes soften now and she leans against his chest before reaching down to grab his free hand and play with his fingers absentmindedly. 

“Of course not,” she tells him. “I could never think less of you. I was just shocked. I knew about the drinking, but I didn’t know about… that.” She shrugs. “It’s in the past, though. It doesn’t matter now. You’re better, right?” 

“Right.” 

“Then it’s okay.” 

Jughead smiles in relief before leaning down to kiss the top of her head. Seriously, how the hell did he get so lucky here?

“Alright,” a voice rings out and Bret is back with a smiling face, “one Shirley Temple for you, Betty.” 

“Thank you,” she says as she takes the drink with a smile. 

“And I got you a Jack and Coke,” Bret says as he turns back to Jughead. “I figured that’s still your favorite, right?” 

He wouldn’t say that it’s his favorite, but it’s good and it’s his usual go to because it’s pretty hard to mess it up. He eyes it suspiciously at first, and then grabs it from Bret. 

“Thanks.” 

“Sure, man. Look, I just want to apologize again for earlier. It was stupid of me to offer you that, Betty. And I didn’t mean to throw you under the bus, Forsythe. I guess I just need to remember that we aren’t living in the past anymore.” 

Jughead doesn’t say anything. He just stares at Bret blankly, because he’s heard this all before. He’s listened to Bret’s apologies and he’s even believed a few of them, but not anymore. He’s learned his lesson from all that. Still though, he can put all of that aside for one night. After all, it’s just one night. 

What could Bret possibly do to him in one single night?

.

.

.

Two Shirley Temples and three Jack and Coke’s later, Jughead’s feeling a lot better about this entire night. Everyone’s warmed up to Betty quickly enough and she seems absolutely taken with Kevin. Jughead doesn’t really know the guy beyond what Fangs has told him, but he seems pretty solid. 

Fangs and Sweet Pea are in great moods thanks to the drugs they keep taking, but Jughead isn’t about to stand around and give them some kind of lecture. Even Bret is a lot easier to get along with right now as he stands around talking, laughing, and drinking with friends that Jughead’s never seen before. 

“So I heard you’re up for some bigshot movie,” Sweet Pea tells him as he downs a shot. 

“And where did you hear that from?” 

“Aren’t you?” Sweet Pea asks and Jughead shakes his head. 

“Not really. I don’t know. It was all talk, ya know?” 

“Yeah, man. I hear that.” 

“Bigshot movie?” Kevin echoes, intrigued. “What, you gonna be the next Winter Soldier or something?” 

Jughead rolls his eyes, but he can’t deny that the idea of playing a Marvel character would be fucking insane. He’s pretty damn sure that’s not the role he’s up for though. He actually doesn’t know anything about the movie that Richard Ryans is directing; he just knows that he wants a part in it no matter what. 

“He wishes,” Fangs jokes and Jughead flips him off. “So Betty, please tell me how a girl as beautiful and smart as you ended up with Jughead here.” It’s a joke, he knows that, one that makes everyone laugh goodheartedly, but it still makes him a little uneasy. Fangs doesn’t know that Jughead’s been wondering that for a while now and it’s gotten even worse since they kissed last night. He knows that his mind is running way ahead of itself and that he needs to just calm down and focus on the present, but it’s hard when he’s so used to losing all the good and precious things in his life. 

“He ran into me while I was running late for work,” she tells them happily. She looks over at Jughead and there’s a smile on her face that’s just for him and he immediately feels at ease. He remembers that day clearly. She’d wanted nothing to do with him, but even from the beginning he’d been enamored by her even if he didn’t know it. He remembers being struck by how beautiful her eyes were. He remembers how they had seemed haunted though; dark bags settling under them and making her look more exhausted than any human should ever feel. He notices now that the bags aren’t as bad as they used to be. She doesn’t frown as much as she used to. There’s a lightness to her that hadn’t been there when he first met her. 

“Aw,” Kevin coos. “So it was love at first sight?” 

“Not exactly,” she teases, but she doesn’t say anything more. She doesn’t need to. Their story is theirs alone. Nobody needs to know the gritty little details except for them. 

“Well, that sounds like something right out of a movie,” he gushes. “Fangs met me on a dating app and asked if I was into--.” 

“Okay!” Fangs drags out loudly. “Maybe lets not talk about that.” 

“So are you from Riverdale?” Sweet Pea asks her. 

“Oh, no. I just moved there a few years ago, but I really like it.” 

“That’s good. What do you do?” 

“I’m a teacher.” 

Sweet Pea and Fangs whistle at that and Jughead groans as Betty’s face turns red. 

“Would you stop that?” Jughead says. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Sweet Pea laughs. “It’s just… a drop dead gorgeous teacher from your hometown? Dude, you are every walking cliche ever.” 

“I actually don’t think that’s a cliche at all,” he mutters but they don’t pay him any mind. 

“You always wanted to be a teacher?” Kevin asks. “Because I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but you could definitely be a model, babe.” 

“Oh,” Betty says, shocked. Her face darkens and she plays with the straw of her drink. “I don’t know about that.” 

“No, he’s right,” Fangs adds in. “I bet if you had Jones introduce you to some people, they’d be begging you to let them sign you.” 

“I like teaching,” Betty says, very clearly embarrassed over what’s going on. 

“Oh, you’re a teacher? How quaint.” 

They all turn to where a new voice rings out to see that Donna has finally decided to join the party. She looks beautiful in an all black outfit, but the kind of beauty that could kill. She’s the type of pretty that you admire from afar, because you know if you get too close that it could destroy you. Jughead had gotten too close once and the end result had almost been his sanity. 

He’s so focused on Donna that he doesn’t even notice the other girl that’s with her at first. But as his eyes focus, he wonders if maybe he’s not more drunk than he had originally thought. 

Because if he’s still slightly sober then that means that Jade Everton is standing in front of him right now and that’s not exactly something he was planning on dealing with tonight of all nights. 

Shit.

She looks great, of course she does. She’s in a little blue dress and heels that make her legs look like they go on for miles. Her thick, long hair is pulled into a high ponytail and her face looks completely natural aside from the dark red painted on her lips. It’s the first time he’s seen her since their blowout at the Oscars and he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to handle this. 

“Jughead,” she says softly, almost confused. “I didn’t know you were back in town.” 

He nods slowly. “Uh, yeah. Yeah. I’m just here for the weekend.”

“I didn’t know you would actually come,” Donna says. Her voice is laced with innocence but there’s a gleam in her eyes that lets Jughead know that she had planned for this. Vicious bitch. She turns to Jade, pouting. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I invited him, but I didn’t think he was actually going to come. Bret really wanted him here, though.” 

She’s a liar. She’s such a fucking liar. But Jade will believe it, she always does. Jade and Donna have been friends for a long time and it was one of the things that Jughead had really hated about their relationship. He’s lucky that he was even able to dodge her during all that time if he’s being honest. 

“Oh, it’s okay,” Jade says lightly. “We’re good. We’ve buried the hatchet.” She smiles as she says the words, but everyone watches on skeptically. He can’t say that he blames them. “It’s good to see you, Jughead. You look really good.” 

“Thank you. So do you.” He clears his throat and reaches down for Betty, who’s sitting in her seat and looking like she’d rather be anywhere but here. Betty takes his hand though and he pulls her up to his side. “Jade, this is Betty. Betty, this is Jade Everton.” 

“Hi,” Jade says kindly, extending her hand towards Betty . “It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Oh, my God, hi.” Betty takes her hand and shakes it. “Yeah, nice to meet you. You’re a lot taller than you look in pictures.” She cringes. “I’m sorry, was that weird to say?” 

Thankfully, Jade laughs and Jughead knows that it’s genuine. 

“That’s not weird! I actually get that a lot. It’s a compliment to me. I love my long legs.” Betty looks down at said legs and nods slowly and Jughead has to refrain from laughing. She looks like she’s about to get on the floor and hug Jade’s legs, but as far as meeting the ex goes, it’s a lot better than he would imagined. “So you’re here with our Jughead, huh?” 

“Uh….” Betty looks at Jughead like she isn’t sure how to answer. 

“I know the answer is yes,” Jade tells her. “Don’t worry. There aren’t any hard feelings here. I’m not in the department of fighting with girls simply because my ex is dating them. I’d like to think that I’m above all that.” 

Betty’s eyes widen. “Oh! I didn’t mean it like that. I just didn’t know—.” 

“Relax,” Jade laughs before turning to Jughead. “She’s very cute. I can see why you’re so enamored with her.” 

“Is Bret around?” Donna asks, looking a little put off and Jughead can only imagine why. She’s probably pissed that her little plot for drama didn’t work the way she wanted it to. 

“He was talking to Mark somewhere,” Fangs tells her and she nods before leaving. Jade settles down in between him and Kevin and the three of them along with Sweet Pea start talking about some new scandal going on with one of their friends. 

“I didn’t know she was going to be here,” Jughead tells Betty as soon as the attention is off of them. “I swear, Betty.” 

“It’s okay, Jughead. I’m not upset or anything. She seems really sweet.” 

“Right, yeah. I just don’t want you to feel uncomfortable at all while you’re here.” He wishes he could say the same for himself, because he’s feeling _very_ uncomfortable and he has ever since they came to this damn club. It didn’t matter that he’s downed back four drinks, he still doesn’t feel any better.

“I’m fine,” she promises. “I really like your friends. They’re funny.”

“Yeah, they’re a real riot alright.” 

Truth be told, they’re probably the closest friends he has here in Hollywood and yet sometimes it feels like he doesn’t really know them at all. Maybe he’s only feeling like that now because being in Riverdale _has_ given him a sense of clarity, but either way it’s the truth. They are good people though, that’s true at least, even if they kind of can be assholes sometimes. He supposes that can be said for anyone. 

“How are you feeling?” She asks him, turning herself around so that she can wrap her arms around his waist. “You seem really tense. You’ve been quiet ever since we got here. Jug, I told you we didn’t have to come.” 

He shakes his head. He doesn’t really have a problem being out right now with everyone, but it’s more of the fact that he seems to be waiting for the other shoe to drop. He’s waiting for something to happen, because it always does whenever Donna and Bret are around. 

“I’m sorry,” he says as he places his arms on her shoulders, caging her against his chest. “I guess I’ve just been a little out of it tonight, but I want you to know that I am so happy right now with you.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Oh, yeah.” He sways them slowly, a stark contrast to the upbeat and quick song that’s currently playing. “I’ve wanted to kiss you all night.” 

“Well, why don’t you then?” She looks up at him and tilts her head and fuck, Jughead wants to. “You know… you keep referring to me as your girlfriend.” 

He stops swaying them. Fuck. He has been, hasn’t he? Jesus Christ, they kiss once and now he’s over here jumping ten steps forward without asking her if she wants the same thing. 

“Shit. I’m sorry, Betts--.” 

“Don’t be sorry,” she cuts him off. “Kiss me. Treat me like your girlfriend. After all, that’s what I am, right?” 

Jughead looks at her in shock but it soon fades away into desire. This is a teasing, playful and flirty side to her that he’s never really seen before. He likes it. 

“Is that what you want to be?” 

She nods, their eyes locked on each other. “I think you know the answer to that one, Hollywood.” 

He snorts before leaning down and pressing their lips together. It feels different to be kissing her out in public like this, but it’s nice. It’s almost freeing in a way. She tastes like the Shirley Temples she’s been downing all night and Jughead swallows the taste up, loving every single bit. Her entire body is pushing into his and he stays rooted in place, allowing her to rest against him completely. 

“Keep calling me Hollywood,” he threatens halfheartedly. 

“Oh?” She says against his lips. “What are you going to do,?” 

He grins and squeezes her against him even tighter. He knows they’re in public and there’s not much they can get away with here; he’s also aware that he doesn’t need to run Betty off so early. They’re new and they’re being playful and flirty and it’s fun. It’s fine. 

“I can think of a few things,” he whispers before biting her lip gently. She gasps as he brings his hand towards her neck, so that he’s cupping it as he caresses her throat with his thumb. His palm completely covers the side of her neck and the sight is a little rousing to him. He’s having a hard time taking his attention away from the beautiful sight in front of him, but then a deep voice rings out in their area and his attention is forced away.

“Well holy shit,” Bret exclaims in glee, causing Jughead to pull away from Betty with a glare. “You’re lucky they don’t allow cameras in here, Forsythe.” Jughead rolls his eyes at the use of his first name. It doesn’t matter how many times he’s told Bret not to call him that, the other man is relentless. He might have gotten used to it by now but that doesn’t mean he likes it. 

“You’ve done a lot worse,” Jughead tells him and Bret hollers at that as if it’s somehow the funniest thing he’s heard all night. 

“We both did, didn’t we?” 

Jughead frowns, ready to go off about how Bret really needs to learn to keep his fucking mouth shut, but then Sweet Pea speaks up.

“Oh, come on. Remember when Fangs and Kevin first got together? They were like two seconds away from fucking every time they were out in public. Let Jughead kiss a girl if he wants.” 

“Thank you, Sweets,” Jughead deadpans. “I don’t know what I would do without you constantly fighting my battles.” 

“You’d lose them all, so you’re welcome.” 

He can’t help but glance over to Jade, though. She doesn’t look bothered by the sudden PDA, so he takes that as a good sign. Maybe she really is ready to leave all of the negative things and feelings behind them. As it is, she looks completely at ease as she watches everyone bicker. 

Bret walks up to Betty with a kind smile that Jughead swears looks real for once. 

“I got you another drink,” he tells her. 

“Aw! Thank you!” She takes the drink but since she still has a little of her other one yet, she doesn’t drink it just yet. 

“Are you sure you don’t want anything stronger than that?” He asks her. “Come on, let loose and have fun with us.” He takes ahold of her hand and sways with her from side to side and Jughead is practically seething as he watches the two of them, but Betty’s giggling so he doesn’t dare say anything. And like Bret is well aware of it, he goes as far as to wrap his arm around Betty’s shoulders and bring her closer to him. 

Jughead can see the way his pupils are blown and how he’s shaking just enough to where he doesn’t look too out of place. He’s talking fast and animatedly and Jughead just knows that he’s been packing shit up his nose the entire time that he was away from them. He almost feels sad about it. It’s tragic and there are times when he looks at Bret and wonders how there’s no one in his life that feels like they should get him some help. 

Betty opens her mouth like she’s about to decline, but then she closes it and blinks twice before looking towards Jughead. He can’t read her mind, but her eyes are telling him an entire story right now. He can see it almost immediately. She wants to drink. She wants to put down the Shirley Temple and pick up something real. She’s in Hollywood and she’s surrounded by the rich and famous and she’s dressed in an outfit that costs more than she makes in a year probably. He gets it. He understands it. He knows that Betty does occasionally have a drink every now and then, but it’s never anything big and it’s never when she’s out in public with random people. 

He doesn’t give anything away on his face. If she wants this, then that’s that, but it has to be on her own terms. She can drink all she wants, of course she can. Despite the fact that he isn’t even close to being drunk, Jughead would immediately stop drinking so that he could watch over her correctly. He doesn’t give any of that away, though. He just stares blankly at her, waiting for her to make her next move. 

“Um, I’m okay,” she says after a few seconds as she looks back towards Bret. “Not tonight.” 

“Okay, okay,” he says as he drops his arm from Betty’s shoulders. “Well, you two should come and dance. Jones, get another drink.” 

“Yeah, alright.” 

Bret grins before making his way to Donna and Jughead looks to Betty. 

“Did you want to drink?” He asks her. “Because if you do, you don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll stop drinking and I’ll even make sure that we get a safe ride home. You’ll be okay.”

“I know that. I know you would take care of me.” Yeah, that’s an understatement. “I just, I don’t know. Tonight didn’t seem like a good time, you know?” 

He nods. “Okay then. I just wanted to make sure that you knew.” 

Betty smiles at him before bringing her new Shirley Temple up to her lips. Jughead watches her, eyes focused on her lips, which is why he notices it before she actually has the chance to drink it. 

“Hey… hey!” He reaches out and rips the glass away from Betty’s lips, causing her to look at him in confusion. 

“Jughead?” She questions. 

He ignores her as he goes to look closer at the liquid. It’s dark in here and maybe the lights are just playing with his mind. And then there’s the fact that he’s been drinking, so that could have something to do with it. Literally anything else would make sense except for the obvious answer. Because the obvious answer would be…

“Son of a fucking bitch,” he whispers under his breath, almost like he’s in shock. Maybe that’s because he _is_ in shock, even though a rational part of his brain reminds him that he really shouldn’t be. Because he’s seen this before and he knows that it’s the truth. 

“Jug?” Betty says again, this time a little more worried. 

Jughead doesn’t think. One minute he’s standing in front of Betty and staring at the contents of the glass, and the next he’s gripping onto the front of Bret’s shirt and shoving the drink into his face, causing some of it to splash onto the other man’s face. 

“What the fuck?” Bret yelps, but no one moves to help him. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“What did you put in this?” Jughead yells out. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I saw something dissolving in here, you sick prick! What the fuck was it?” 

“You’re a psycho--.” 

“Then drink it!” He demands as he shoves it against Bret’s lips. The other man begins to frantically try to get away from him, but he can’t. “Open your fucking mouth and drink it!” 

“Jughead!” Fangs yells from behind him. “Dude, get off of him! Are you out of your mind?” 

“He was trying to drug her!” 

That gets the attention of more than a few bystanders and Bret starts to struggle even more, causing the glass to fall to the floor and shatter. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bret says stiffly. Sweet Pea comes up from behind Jughead too now and starts to tug at his elbow as he tries to pull him away. 

“I’ll kill you,” Jughead grinds out, his voice nearly unrecognizable. He’s never felt this kind of anger before; it’s red hot and coursing roughly through his veins. He feels like he can snap Bret’s neck right now. “I’ll fucking kill you.” 

“Jug,” Fangs says from behind him. 

“You’re insane,” Bret coughs. “Get off of me.” 

Jughead’s grip just tightens and he maneuvers them so that it’s starting to cut at Bret’s oxygen. The blonde man gasps before tapping on Jughead’s hand. 

“It was just a little bit of some E,” he gasps out. “I only put it in this drink.” 

“Oh. Just a little bit of E?” Jughead repeats incredulously. He nods his head to himself. “Well okay then.” 

He lets go of Bret, who starts to dramatically breathe again as if Jughead had _actually_ been cutting off his circulation. Fucking idiot. 

“I was just trying to get her to loosen up a bit.” He glances back at Betty and Jughead doesn’t even think twice. 

He throws his fist forward right into Bret’s jaw and watches as he flies back into the table before rolling onto the floor. He doesn’t even move as he lays on the ground and Jughead looks down at him in disgust. 

“What the hell is your problem?” Donna screeches as she leans down to check on Bret. 

“You’re dead to me,” he says, voice cold and yet completely calm. Everyone looks over to him in shock and that just pisses him off even more. Did they really have no clue what Bret was going to do? Doubtful. “I don’t ever want to see either of you again, or I swear to God, Donna, I’ll make you regret it.” 

“Jughead—.” 

His attention snaps towards Jade, who looks completely startled, but there must be something in his face that conveys how furious he actually is right now, because she doesn’t say anything else. 

He turns back towards Betty, who’s standing still in place with her eyes wide like a baby deer caught in the headlights. 

“Are you okay?” He asks her softly, leaning down so he’s eye level with her. He places both of his hands on her cheeks and looks over her for any sign that she isn’t. 

“I’m okay,” she whispers, looking behind him and at Bret. “We should go home, Jug.” 

_We never should have come here_ , he thinks to himself. 

He nods and wraps his arm around her to pull her closer to him as he leads her out of the club. He doesn’t even look back to see what everyone is doing at their departure, but he doesn’t really care either way. 

He has to get an Uber, but they don’t have to wait for more than three minutes. The entire ride home is filled with silence and the occasional stiff conversation when the driver asks him a question. 

It’s not until they’re safe in his house that he finally relaxes. 

“Betty,” he hugs her tightly, taking her off guard a little in the process, “I’m so sorry. I don’t… I didn’t think he would do something like that. I’m sorry. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Jughead.” She pushes him away from her and looks up at him sadly. “I’m fine. Nothing actually happened.” 

“But it could have! Do you know what could have happened if I hadn’t been watching you drink that?” 

“Well, I don’t think ecstasy would have killed me.” She smiles a little as she says it, like she’s trying to lighten the mood, but he’s not in the mood for that at all. 

“Betty,” he says slowly, “you could have been drugged.” 

“But I wasn’t! And I was with you. If that did happen, I would be okay.” 

He looks at her like she’s lost her mind. “You can’t be serious right now.” 

She deflates a little and frowns as she takes a deep breath. 

“Nothing happened, Jughead. Am I a little shaken up? Sure, of course. But nothing actually happened. You stopped anything from happening, like I know that you always will. And besides, I’m pretty sure Bret’s still stuck to the floor right now so that’s a comforting thought.” 

Jughead barks out a laugh at that and Betty smiles at him. 

“Despite all of… _that_ , I still had fun with you tonight. But maybe we should have just stayed in. I don’t think that I’m ready to take Los Angeles by storm.” 

He nods. “Well, don’t worry. That’s exactly why I like you.”

“Oh? That’s why?” 

“Among other things.” He reaches out to play with a strand of hair that’s framing her face. “But really, are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, I promise. I don’t want to spend our time here worrying about Bret. I want to be here with _you_.” 

“Well, you have me. What will you do with me now?” 

She smiles slyly. “Will you show me the beach?” 

“The beach?” He asks, shocked. “Right now?” It’s pretty late and it’s a little chilly outside now. He can’t imagine that the beach would be an ideal spot. 

But Betty just nods. “It’s my last night here. I think I’d like to see it at night.” She starts to play with something on her finger and it only takes him a second to realize that it’s his ring. She wants to see the ocean at night because of his ring. His heart swells at the idea of her touching the ring and thinking of him. 

“Okay,” he agrees. “I uh, I actually have a beach house we can go to.” 

“A beach house?” She repeats. “That is _such_ a famous person thing to have.” 

“Oh, come on! It’s coming in handy right now, isn’t it?” 

Betty squints. “Hmm, I guess it is. Okay! Take me away, Jones. How are you feeling? You had a few drinks.”

“I’m sober,” he tells her and it’s the truth. Any kind of buzz he’d had disappeared as soon as he realized what was happening with Bret. “I promise.” 

“Then like I said, take me away.”

He laughs. “How do you feel about motorcycles?” 

Betty tilts her head and Jughead grins wickedly. 

.

.

.

Betty’s laughing gleefully when they finally get off of the bike. She takes off her helmet and lets her hair fall back around her shoulders in waves. Her cheeks are tinged pink and she’s smiling so wide that he wonders if they hurt as well. 

“That was incredible!” She breathes out as she hands him the helmet. “I’ve never been on a motorcycle before.” 

“Well, I’m very glad to be your first.” 

The double meaning in that sentence stops both of them for a few seconds before Betty continues on talking. 

“Do you come out here often?” 

“Not as often as I’d like.” He leads her towards the steps that’ll take them down to the beach. “I used to come here all the time.” 

“I would never want to leave. It’s so beautiful.” 

“Isn’t it?” He holds out a hand for her so that he can help her down onto the sand. “I used to come out here all the time when things were bad or confusing. It’s really calming. It helps you think.” 

“Is this another bad and confusing time?” Betty asks quietly. 

“No,” he says with a head shake. “I mean… was tonight less than ideal? Yeah. But I’m here with you and everything’s okay. _You’re_ okay. That makes it a good time in my books.” 

They walk along the shore, eventually taking off their shoes so that they’re able to move around easier. 

“Jade’s lovely,” Betty says after a while. Water is lapping at her toes and she wiggles them against the sand. 

Jughead hums out in thought. “Yeah, she is.” 

Betty’s quiet for another few minutes before she speaks up again. “And you’re friends now?”

He shrugs. “I guess so. That’s really the first time I’ve talked to her since she called me.” 

“Oh.” 

He stops walking and pulls on her wrist to get her to stop too. 

“Why the sudden interest?” 

Betty bites her lip as she looks out towards the ocean water. 

“Don’t laugh at me?” 

“Of course not.” 

“It’s just… Well, sometimes when she was looking at you, it seemed like maybe she wasn’t completely over you. I don’t know.” 

Jughead looks at her in shock. “Wait, what? Betty, no. Trust me, it’s not like that anymore.” 

“Well, maybe not on your side, but I don’t know, Jug. She couldn’t take her eyes off of you. And it’s okay if there are some underlying feelings there, I would get it. I just want to know.” She keeps her eyes firmly on the ground and he hates how unsure she sounds right now. 

“She might still have feelings for me, I don’t know and honestly? I don’t want to know.” He tilts her chin up, so that she has to look at him. He runs his hand down her arm to to her own hand, where he knows his ring is still sitting on her finger. He runs his fingers over it and Betty looks down in surprise, as if she’d forgotten that she’s still wearing it. “I like _you_ , Betty. You’re the person that I want to be with. And being here in Hollywood, even just for the weekend, it reminded me how much I love being in Riverdale with you. I don’t want anyone else but you. I don’t want _anything_ else but you. You understand me?” 

“I’m sorry,” she deflates. “I guess being in your world today just made me realize that I don’t really fit in here. It made me feel like maybe I didn’t really fit into your life; that maybe someone else could fit that spot better.” 

“Are you kidding me?” He laughs. “God, no. There’s no one else, Betty. You have to believe that.” He laces their fingers together and brings his other hand up to cradle her face. “And this isn’t my world, not really, not anymore. And these certainly aren’t my people.” His temper flares up again at the reminder of what happened just two hours ago. Betty squeezes his hand like she can sense his anger and he takes a deep breath as he calms himself down. “I don’t really know where my world is at this moment, but I do know one thing. You’re a really big part of my world now and I want you to be able to be happy and secure, not second guessing my feelings for you.” 

Betty’s lip wobbles. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re the biggest sap ever?” 

“Hmm, maybe a person or two.” She laughs, shaking her head and Jughead’s glad that despite everything, she’s still here with him and she doesn’t seem like she’s in a hurry to leave. “Do you want to sit down? I have a cabana just a little over there.” He gestures a few yards down the beach and Betty scoffs. 

“Everytime I think you can’t possibly get any worse, you do.” 

“Excuse me? I know you don’t mean that. I know you’re excited about my cabana.” 

“That doesn’t mean anything!” 

They bicker on their short walk and Jughead finds himself loving the heated little discussion. In his mind, he is fully aware that everything Betty’s saying is true. He’s a walking, talking cliche for all things rich and famous, but he doesn’t think he can be faulted for this one. A cabana was practical for when he felt like having a beach day but didn’t want to be bothered. It’s not like he had one of those crazy ones with a mini tv and air conditioning. It was just a simple bedlike setup; the kind that you would find at any nice resort. Also he was talked into buying it while drunk one day so that may or may not have a lot to do with it. 

They lay down on it and stare out towards the ocean. It’s a beautiful night, and it’s just chilly enough that Betty cuddles into Jughead’s side a little more. 

“This really is amazing,” she says quietly as they watch the waves crash into the shore calmly. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

“Right? I used to love coming out here.” 

“Is it crazy that I want to go for a swim right now?” 

He laughs. “Uh, a little bit, yeah. I’m sure it’s too cold.” 

Betty hums in thought. 

“Don’t even think about it,” he warns her. “I’m not taking care of you when you get sick.” 

“Okay, we both know that’s not true.” Jughead scoffs, but he doesn’t disagree because well, yeah. She’s completely right. “Can I ask you something?” 

“You know I’m always going to say yes.” 

She smiles and begins to twist the ring that still sits on her thumb. Jughead watches her and patiently waits. 

“What happened between you and Bret and Donna? It’s just-- well, you seemed to already have some animosity towards them before we even got to the club. And then there was that comment Donna made about the bets? What was that about?” She doesn’t sound angry or like she’s going to leave once he tells her the truth, but she doesn’t know that he’s been dreading her asking this. He was hoping that maybe they could just act like this night never happened, but he knows that’s not fair. Betty deserves to know the truth, even if it’s going to show her that he is the asshole that everyone makes him out to be. 

“I…” he drags out, not really knowing where to start. 

Suddenly, Betty pulls away from him to sit herself straight up against the frame. She tugs back on Jughead’s shoulders and he allows her to move him so that his head is resting in her lap. She begins to card her fingers through his hair and he closes his eyes at the euphoric sensation that flows through him.

He sighs deeply and presses his face into her sweater as he wraps his arms around her waist. 

“Like I told you before,” he starts, “I was really mad when I first came here. I hid that anger for a while, but it just stayed inside of me and I was like a ticking time bomb just waiting for the right moment to go off. And that’s when I met Bret.” 

“He’s the son of a senator who grew up spoiled and selfish. Nobody ever told him no and he got away with everything and anything. He knew the best places to party. He knew who to hit up for the really good drugs. He could get you a meeting with almost any director you wanted. He was confident and cool, or so I thought anyway. And we met at this party one night and really hit it off. Before I knew it, I’m in his inner circle and I’m hanging out with him everyday.” 

“Eventually I moved in with him because I was in between places and he offered his guest room for free. I thought I had found a really good friend, but after awhile I realized that I could not have been further from the truth.” He pauses for a moment, and Betty waits for him to continue, playing with his hair the entire time. “Things were always fucked up from the start, but I didn’t realize it then. It started off as small things. He introduced me to this underground circuit filled with people who were just as lost and angry as I was. I think he enjoyed surrounding himself with unhappy people.” 

“Anyway, next thing I know I’m hooked on a drug I never thought I would touch.” He laughs humorlessly. “It made me cockier, determined, happier, more alive. For the first time in a long time, I couldn’t feel that underlying anger anymore, but I also couldn’t really feel much of anything else unless I was high. And Bret knew that too.” 

“He made a stupid comment one night— how I couldn’t hook up with this girl at a club. I just laughed and did another line and then he’s betting me $1,000 that I can’t take her home.” He holds onto Betty a little tighter. “Before I know it, it’s a game between us. We’re betting each other on _girls_. We upped the game, because of course we did. It went from random strangers to up and coming models to the daughters of some of the biggest names in the game, and the daughters of families that we should have stayed far away from.” Betty’s fingers still and he knows that she’s probably trying to imagine just exactly who’s on that list. 

“The worst part is that I had fun. I was sleeping with these girls and tossing them out in the morning and I was enjoying it. I didn’t care. Then one night, I’m out with him and Donna and he bets that I can’t get this one girl to go home with me. I was expecting someone who _meant_ something, ya know? Because at this point, we were so far out of our league. So I was surprised when I saw a complete stranger.” 

“She was cute, I remember that. She had a kind face and gentle eyes and didn’t deserve someone like me messing with her, but I did anyway. I played right into what Bret wanted.” He closes his eyes. “The next morning, Bret and Donna come into the room looking like the fucking cats that ate every canary in the city. They’re holding a fucking disc, like a damn CD-Rom, and I had no clue what the fuck they were doing. Turns out, the girl was a small time actress who was in the running for the same role that Donna wanted.” He laughs dryly. “They threatened her-- told her that if she ever wanted a career in Hollywood, that it would probably be better that a sextape with Jughead Jones didn’t get leaked. She ran out of the room and I didn’t say anything the entire time. I was so shocked, I couldn’t believe that they would do something like that. Now I don’t even know why I was surprised.” 

“When I finally snapped out of whatever haze I was in, I went off on them. I had never been so fucking mad in my entire life. Bret just laughed and said not to worry, because you couldn’t see my face in the video and besides, even if anyone did know it was me, ‘the men never get in trouble for these kinds of things’. His words, not mine.” Betty clicks her tongue in disgust and Jughead sighs. “Anyway, that was when I knew that I had to get out of there before I lost anymore of myself. Tonight was the first night since then that I’ve seen them.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Betty asks. 

He shrugs, although it’s a little harder to do with his current position. “I guess I’m just waiting for you to finally hear something that drives you away from me. This thing with you-- it’s the most real thing I’ve had in a long time. And I know it’s still really new, but I’m scared. I’m scared my world is going to hurt you. I mean, it almost did tonight,” he says harshly. Betty pats his head tenderly. “I’m scared that one day you’re going to hear something about me and it’s going to be so horrible that you’re not going to be able to look at me the same anymore.” 

She’s silent for a moment and he listens to the sound of the ocean and the howl of the wind to calm himself down. 

“I cheated on Daniel.” 

His eyes snap open and he wants to move so that he can look at her properly, but her hands are still moving in his hair and he thinks that maybe she’s doing this to comfort herself just as much as she’s trying to comfort him. 

“I had been with him for nearly my entire teenage life, you know? He was all I knew and we’d been engaged for two months and I was freaking out. What if there was an entire world out there that I was missing out on? What if there was someone else out there for me, someone who was my soulmate, and I would never know because I decided to marry my highschool sweetheart? It was a dilemma. I think it had more to do with the fact that my life was absolutely perfect.” 

“I had a perfect upbringing with a perfect family. I was a straight A student and Homecoming Queen. I was number one in my class and the Student Body President. I got into an Ivy college and I was _perfect_.” She spits the word out like it’s a curse and he thinks that to her, it probably is. “My mom was always praising me; her perfect little daughter with her perfect fiancé and her perfect life. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I was so sick of being everyone’s perfect little girl.” 

“So my friend takes me out to a club in the city one night. We’re far enough away from town that no one will recognize us and I used that to my full advantage. She told me to have fun and be free; to live my life how I would want to if there was no Daniel, if my parents weren’t so uptight and strict. So I did. I got so wasted and I had sex with a guy who had a really nice smile, a body full of tattoos and a piercing on his dick. So yeah, the complete opposite of Daniel.” She lets out a noise, but it’s not really laughter. “I told him the very next day and he… He cried. And it’s a pretty valid response to have to that kind of news, but his tears didn’t make me feel bad. They made me _mad_.”

“He was sitting there crying about how sorry he was that he wasn’t good enough for me. He was asking me what he could do to be better, and all I kept thinking was _stop being so goddamn perfect_. I wanted him to yell at me, to call me names and tell me to get out of his house. I wanted him to be furious with me. I wanted him to be anything but perfect.” She scoffs. “In the end, he forgave me and we moved on from it. Neither of us ever brought it up again and I never even looked at another man until you came along.” 

Jughead lays there, frozen. Out of all the things that he had expected her to tell him, that hadn’t even been on the list. The admission that she had cheated on her husband before they were married is completely insane to him. He can’t picture Betty ever doing something like that. And that’s when it hits him. 

“You keep waiting for me to leave you,” she says. “Even before we were together, you were just waiting for the other shoe to drop and for me to finally walk away from you, and because of what? Because you think that I’m perfect? That I’m so above everyone else that I could never be anything less than heavenly? You’re wrong, Jughead. We all do things that we regret, things that are so horrible they haunt us for years. I would never judge you for something you did in your past.” 

This time he does move. He sits up and looks at her. Her eyes are a little watery and he can’t tell if it’s from the wind or from her confession. It doesn’t matter either way. 

“I would never judge you either,” he tells her, meaning it. 

“I know.” 

“I guess we’re both a little messed up, huh?” 

She smiles. “Maybe you are a little more than me.” 

“Ouch.” 

“I’m kidding,” she says before leaning forward to kiss him. It’s over too quickly and he immediately misses her lips against his. “But I do want you to know that I mean it when I say I’m with you. There’s nothing you can do that’s going to change that. Stop worrying about when the other shoe is going to drop and just be here with me.” She takes his hand and places it over her heart. “Because I’m with you, Jughead. Always.” 

Her eyes are earnest and he believes her wholeheartedly. 

He leans forward and kisses her, deep and hard like he’s trying to convey everything he feels into this one little kiss. It’s not enough, not nearly enough, and he lays her down into the soft sheets, hovering over her as he continues to kiss her like he might die if he pulls away. Her hands are tangled in his arm as she pulls him closer against her. She’s in a light sweater and leggings and he can feel her shivering against him. 

“Are you cold?” He asks, concerned. “We can go inside if you want.” 

She shakes her head. “No. I like it out here.” She brings his face back down and kisses him once. “Keep me warm, Hollywood.” 

“Not if you keep calling me that.” 

She laughs and he kisses her, catching her off guard. He runs his hands underneath her sweater and touches her bare waist with his hands. She startles at the cold touch and then shivers against him before snuggling further into the sheets. 

“I’m very sorry, Mr. Jones.” 

“Okay, we’re done here.” He pulls away from her, but Betty starts laughing loudly as she pulls him back towards her. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” She presses her nose to his cheek. It’s cold and it tickles. “Please warm me up, Juggie.” 

“Yeah?” 

She nods and he goes back down, their lips moving against each other’s hungrily now, like the world could end around them if they stopped. 

Against his better judgement, he reaches down to where his shirt ends and pulls up over his head, pulling away from Betty for only a second. He tosses it off to the side somewhere carelessly. 

Despite the slightly cool wind, his body is warm. Betty slides her cold hands up and down his sides and back until he can no longer feel how cold she is. 

“Jug?” 

“Mhm?” He hums in question as he kisses her neck. 

“I think I want to take my sweater off.” 

He pulls back at that and raises an eyebrow at her. 

“Are you sure? You know, we don’t need to do anything, Betty. I meant what I said last night.” 

“I know. And like I said last night, I really want to; just not after I woke up from a nightmare.” 

He opens his mouth in shock, but he doesn’t actually say anything. Truthfully, he doesn’t know what to say right now. Thankfully Betty doesn’t need him to say anything right now. 

“Could someone see us?” She asks and he shakes his head, still trying to gather his thoughts. 

“Uh… no. I own this part of the beach, so there’s no way anyone could see us. Um, but it’s cold.” 

“Okay, lets ignore the fact that that is easily the most rich person thing you’ve ever said, and instead focus on the weather. I don’t think we’ll be all that cold soon, do you?” 

Jughead lets out a laugh. “I guess not, but are you sure, Betty?” 

“You know, it’s actually a turn off when you ask that question every five minutes, Jones. I’m telling you that I want this and I’ve wanted it for a while now. You think last night’s the first time I thought about doing this with you? It wasn’t.” 

He wonders if he’ll ever stop being surprised by the things Betty says or does. Probably not. Hell, he hopes not. 

“Do you want this?” She asks him for the first time, and she sounds so unsure now, which is exactly what finally jump starts his brain. 

“Of course I want this.” 

And to show her, he places his hands at the hem of her sweater, pulling it up slightly and looking at her in question. She nods eagerly and he peels it over her head and tosses it off to the side along with his. 

She has on a baby blue bra that looks beautiful against her skin. He traces the lining with his finger tips and Betty shivers even though he’s barely touching her skin. 

“You cold?” He asks, his voice having dropped a few octaves. 

“Not exactly.” 

He replaces his fingers with his lips, kissing her chest as he pulls Betty up a little so that he can reach around and unclip her bra. It only takes him a single try before it’s falling down onto her lap. He moves it off of her as he lays her back down, lips never leaving her body as he does. 

She arches her back, pushing herself into him, like she’s silently begging him to do something _more_. He places one last lingering kiss to the top of her breast before he moves down, cupping her boobs into his hands and kissing them lightly, peppering kisses everywhere he possibly can until he finally reaches her nipple.

He swirls his tongue around the tip of it and _feels_ it harden under him. He latches onto it and bites at it tenderly, causing Betty to gasp and press his face closer into her. He lets go of it and moves on to the next one, giving it the same treatment. 

She’s already breathing heavily underneath him and he hasn’t even done anything to her yet. 

He kisses down to her navel, pressing featherlight kisses into her hips and stomach as he hooks his fingers into her leggings and pulls them off of her. Her legs are long and smooth and he takes his time kissing a trail from her ankles up to the lace panties that she has on. 

He kisses her through them and she bucks her hips forward, causing him to press her hips down into the mattress. 

“I like these,” he tells her, bringing a hand down to play with the ends of the lace. 

“Oh.” 

He doesn’t take them off of her, he simply moves the lace to the side, leaving her completely exposed to him. He places an open mouth kiss to her pussy and she lets out a loud gasp. He realizes that this is probably her first time doing anything like this in a long time and her entire body is on edge, which excites him a lot more than it probably should. 

He licks at her folds and is surprised to see that she’s already incredibly wet. He brings a hand up and slides a finger inside of her slowly, the sound of her low moan making him wish he was inside of her already. She’s hot and tight around his finger and he can’t even imagine how she’s going to feel when he’s inside her. Even the idea has him rutting his hips into the mattress for a moment. 

She wiggles her hips a little and he smirks, knowing exactly what she wants. And who is he to deny her anything? 

He brings his lips to her clit and places a kiss there, softly and almost ghostlike. Betty lets out a whine and he grins before he sticks his tongue out and tastes her. She gasps at the contact and Jughead moans at the feeling of her on the tip of his tongue. She tastes amazing, fucking intoxicating, and he presses his face into her until his nose is bumping against her. He wants all of her in every way possible. 

His tongue plays with her clit, switching between slow strokes that have her whining out and trying to ride his face as best as she can, and fast circles that have her panting out his name. He presses another finger inside of her and begins to slide them in and out of her quickly, curling them as he does so, causing her to scream out his name as she comes all over his fingers and mouth. He fucks her through her orgasm until she’s squirming away from oversensitivity. 

“Do you think anyone heard that?” She asks him, chest rising and falling quickly as she tries to catch her breath. 

“I’m going to go with the idea that we’re alone out here right now, because if we aren’t, then someone definitely heard you.” Betty hits him with her thigh because he’s currently still happily stuck in between them. He laughs and turns his head so that he can kiss her thigh. “I want to be inside you, Betty.” 

Her eyes widen and her cheeks go red despite the fact that he is currently laying in between her thighs after giving her head. It’s cute. 

“Oh. Are you sure you don’t want me to help you out?” 

He shakes his head. “No. As much as I’m sure a blowjob from you would be heavenly, I need to be inside of you. I want to _come_ inside of you.” 

Betty blinks and when she looks at him again, she seems a little dazed. Her eyes flutter and her breath catches. 

“Oh,” she whispers. “Like… like _inside_ inside of me?” 

Jughead smiles lopsidedly. “With a condom, Betty. Trust me, I want nothing more than to be able to fuck you raw, but we should probably get tested first.” 

Her eyes widen at his words and he wonders if anyone’s ever talked dirty to her. He doesn’t think that what he said is anything too dirty, but he’s aware that to some people it would be considered downright filthy. He wonders if Betty is one of those people. 

So he tests it out. 

“Do you want that?” He asks, voice low. He kisses her thigh again as he slips a finger into her, causing her to gasp. He slides it in and out of her slowly, careful not to put too much pressure since she’s probably still very sensitive. His lips are right next to her clit and he can feel her press into them just the tiniest bit as he talks. “For me to fuck you raw? To be able to come inside of you?” 

“Yes,” she whispers. “I’m clean, Jug. I’ve been tested.” 

“I know, Betts,” he says seriously, “but I haven’t been since my last hookup. And even if I always use protection, it’s still better that we get tested, just to be safe, okay?” 

“Oh. Right, yeah.” A look crosses over her face that he can’t really decipher and he frowns. 

“What is it?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Betty.” 

“It’s just… I haven’t done this in a long time and I’m sure that you’ve done it a lot and I don’t want to be a disappointment.” 

His jaw drops as he looks at her in surprise. “A disappointment? Are you serious right now? Betty, believe me when I tell you that there is no possible way that you could ever be a disappointment, but especially not right now. You have me fucking _insane_ and I haven’t even been inside of you yet.” He moves up from between her thighs to kiss her. Her lips taste like everything he’s ever wanted and he doesn’t understand how she can think that she’s anything less than _everything_ to him. “I adore you, Betty Cooper. You could never be disappointing.” 

“You’re a sap,” she tells him and he laughs softly. 

“Maybe so, but don’t let that get out, okay? It’s our secret.” 

“Our secret,” she repeats before kissing him once. “Now, Jughead?” 

“Mhm?” 

“Can you please fuck me already?” 

He laughs at the suddenness of the words but reaches down to where he had put his wallet in the sand earlier. Betty scoffs at the fact that he actually has a condom in his wallet, but he doesn’t care. It came in handy, didn’t it? 

He slips off his jeans and briefs, which is more freeing than he had even realized. He doesn’t make a show out of undressing and sliding on the condom like he normally would, and it’s probably because he feels like if he doesn’t get inside of Betty in the next few seconds, he might actually combust. 

He slides off her panties and positions himself at her entrance, but doesn’t push in yet. He simply holds himself steady as he looks down at Betty. 

She looks absolutely gorgeous. Her hair is fanned out on the pillow and her cheeks are flushed. Her eyes are hooded and her mouth is slightly open. She looks like she’s just had the best orgasm of her life, and he hasn’t even been in her yet. He tries not to feel too cocky about that one, but he can’t help the little burst of pride that he was able to do that for her; that he was able to make her feel good. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispers as he reaches out to stroke her cheek. She cuddles her face into his hand and he watches her in admiration. All the models in the world couldn’t hold a candle to her. In all his life, he’s never been so enamored by someone before and he wonders if this feeling is ever going to go away; the one where he looks at her and it always feels like the first time. He hopes it doesn’t. It’s his favorite feeling in the world. “I could look at you for hours and never get bored.” 

“You’re creepy,” she whispers back, but she’s smiling up at him.

“And you’re beautiful.” He kisses her again, because at this point he’d addicted to her lips and how they feel against his. “I’m glad I went back to Riverdale and met you. I can’t picture my life without you in it now.” 

“You never have to picture that,” she tells him as she brings her hand up to run her fingers through his hair. “I’m not going anywhere.” 

He kisses her one more time and as he does, he pushes himself inside of her slowly. She gasps into his mouth and he pauses for a moment, letting her adjust to him, and then he pushes until he’s fully inside of her. She’s so fucking tight around him that it almost hurts and he loves it. She feels amazing, even with the stupid condom he’s wearing and he doesn’t know whether it’s that or the fact that he’s finally doing this with someone that he actually really cares for, but he doesn’t know how long he’ll last. 

Betty wraps her legs around him and pulls him into her and he doesn’t need her to say what it is that she wants. He starts a steady pace, rolling his hips into her as she drags her nails down his back faintly. He’s never like when girls go overboard with digging their nails into his back, but for some reason, he wants Betty to do that. He wants to fuck her so good that she can’t do anything but claw at him. Not tonight, though. Tonight isn’t about that; it’s about being with her, showing her how much she means to him. 

He takes her hands in his, pressing them against the mattress and intertwining their fingers as he fucks her slow and deep. He wants to take his time with her, he wants to--. 

She clenches around him and his hips stutter. 

“Baby, don’t do that unless you want this to be over in the next five seconds.” 

“Oh,” she gasps. “Sorry.” And then: “Can I ride you?” 

“Are you seriously asking me that?” 

She grins wickedly, grabbing onto his biceps with her hands and rolling them over so that she’s comfortably on top of him. 

He looks up at her and his breath catches in his throat. 

Her hair is flying around in the wind and a loose strand sticks to her lips, which are still painted with the light pink lipstick she’d worn earlier. The moonlight hits her perfectly and the waves are crashing against the shore behind her like an angry yet enchanting lullaby only they can hear. She looks like a goddess and Jughead is the foolish mortal who would give anything for her. He’s completely under her spell.

She tilts her head and bites her lip shyly and Jughead watches her in awe as she positions herself before sliding down on his dick until she’s sitting down on him. 

Her mouth drops open at the new position and Jughead mirrors her. 

His hands fly to her hips and he grips her tightly, digging his fingertips into the pale skin there and wondering if there’s a chance he’ll leave bruises. 

“You feel so good,” Betty whispers, eyes closed, and he’s not exactly sure that he was supposed to hear it. 

“Betty,” he chokes out, looking up at her pleadingly. He bucks his hips up, needing to feel her move, but then she opens her eyes and looks down at him. He doesn’t know exactly what he sees in them, but whatever it is, he immediately stops moving. There’s a fire deep inside of him that feels like it’s about to burn through him as he looks up at her, begging her with his eyes to _please just do something_. And because he becomes a completely different person when he’s around her, the kind of person who falls to her mercy to please her, he whispers out: “ _Please_.” 

She lifts herself up, until she’s almost completely off of him, and then slides back down in one fluid motion. 

“Fuck,” Jughead moans, throwing his head back into the pillow as she repeats the same action. She does it a little slow at first, like maybe she’s trying to get used to it, but then she builds up a quick pace, settling her hands on his chest as she continues to ride him. 

“Juggie,” she pants and he opens his eyes just as she leans down to kiss him. It’s sloppy and is more teeth than anything else. As she pulls away, she bites at his lip and he snaps his hips into her on reflex, causing her to cry out. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he apologizes against her lips. 

She lets out a tiny laugh, but doesn’t say anything as she sits back up, placing her hands back on his chest as she continues to ride him relentlessly. He’s just about to tell her that he doesn’t think he’s going to last much longer, when she lets out a loud moan. 

“I’m close,” she tells him. “Fuck, I’m--.” 

Jughead doesn’t even think as he flips them back over so that he’s on top again. He forgets all about his slow and steady pace from earlier as he snaps his hips into hers in an almost punishing way. He fucks her hard and fast and she cries out as she clenches around him before coming undone. 

It feels fucking earthshattering as his orgasm washes over him. He preses his lips against Betty’s roughly and kisses her hard as he rides out his orgasm, wishing more than anything that they didn’t have this fucking rubber between them. 

“Fuck,” he whispers as he pulls himself out of her. She whimpers at the sudden loss and shivers as the cold hits her once again. “Fuck, Betty. We need to get you inside.” 

“That’s horrible pillowtalk, Jughead.” 

He laughs as he lays down next to her. “Do you want me to lay here and tell you that you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen? Do you want me to lay here and tell you that what we just did was perfect? That I can’t believe you trusted me enough for that? That I’m in awe that I’m even here with you right now? Do you want me to tell you that I’m stupidly head over heels for you?” 

Betty’s smile is wobbly and her eyes are shining brightly. “Well, I’m stupidly head over heels for you, Jughead Jones. And that was _unbelievably_ perfect.” 

He reaches down and takes ahold of her hand, bringing it up to his lips so that he can kiss it. 

“Despite everything that happened tonight, the night ended kind of amazing, wouldn’t you say?” Betty asks him. “I wouldn’t change a single thing about it.” 

“I’m never going to let anyone hurt you,” he tells her. 

“I know.” 

He kisses her forehead, letting his lips linger for a few seconds. 

“And tonight was perfect.” She looks at him happily and he sits up. “Okay, now come on. We should really get you inside.” 

“I don’t think I can walk. My legs are jelly.” 

He laughs as he throws her over his shoulder and carries her into the house, her screaming and laughing the entire time. 

 

An hour later, they’re laying down together in his bed. They’d washed off together in the shower and had opted for not wearing anything to bed, which resulted in Jughead now being obsessed with running his hand all over Betty’s bare back as she curled up on him, their legs intertwined with each other and her head resting on his chest. 

“I’m probably not going to get the movie deal,” he says quietly as he stares out of the window wall next to his bed. “I’m sure the news about the fight already got out. Richard Ryans didn’t even want to work with me to begin with because I was bad news. I just knocked out Hollywood’s Golden Boy. I’m done.” It’s the first time he’s realized that since the fight and despite how perfect things with Betty had been, he can’t help but feel upset at this. 

“I’m sorry, Jughead. I know how much you really wanted it.” 

“Yeah,” he says. “I did. And I’m going to lose it just because I don’t know how to control my temper.” 

Betty stays silent and he takes a deep breath. He shouldn’t be talking about this right now, but he can’t help it. It was the role of a lifetime and it was everything he had ever wanted and now he was going to lose it. 

“Even still,” he continues, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about tonight.” He’s echoing her words from earlier, but he means it. 

“Jughead Jones,” she yawns, “you absolute sap.” 

“Only for you.” 

Betty’s quiet for so long that he thinks she’s finally fallen asleep. Just as he closes his eyes though, she speaks up, her voice a tiny whisper. 

“If Richard Ryans doesn’t want you then it’s his loss, because you’re an amazing actor. I would know.” 

“You would know?” He repeats. “How would you know?” As far as he knows, she hasn’t seen jack shit that he’s been in. 

Her breathing evens out and she falls asleep before she can answer, leaving Jughead with an unanswered question. 

.

.

.

There’s a loud buzzing coming from somewhere around him. He groans in annoyance and tries to ignore it, but the more he ignores it, the louder it gets. He gets up in a huff and looks around for the source of the buzzing and finds his phone discarded on the wooden floor. 

He picks it up and squints at the brightness of the screen. It takes him a few seconds to adjust his eyes, but when he does he sees that it’s Cheryl Blossom calling him, of all the fucking people. 

He answers the phone, because it’s damn near six in the morning and there’s no way Cheryl would ever be calling him at this time if it weren’t important. 

“Hello?” He says, voice sounding like pure fucking gravel. 

“Jughead, hey, sorry for calling but I was up late on Twitter and you know we’re three hours ahead of you so I’m awake and I’m scrolling and I’m just looking through different trending tags and--.” 

“Cheryl,” he cuts in, “what the fuck are you talking about?” 

“Right, sorry, um okay. Have you been on Twitter lately?” 

“No, I’m sleeping.” But now he’s feeling more awake, his heart starting to pound in his chest as this conversation goes on. 

“Jughead, someone leaked a video of you and Betty kissing at some club. You can clearly see her face from where it’s recorded.” 

His heart drops and he feels like he’s going to throw up. 

“And Jughead?” 

“What?” He snaps. 

“They found out who she is. ‘Betty Cooper’ is the number one trending topic on Twitter right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers (and possible triggers) for this chapter: 
> 
> \- Bret slut shames a girl that Sweet Pea used to mess around with. It's one single comment. 
> 
> \- Use of drugs (specifically cocaine) in the present. Talk of past drug addiction. 
> 
> \- Bret attempts to drug Betty's drink.
> 
> \- Jughead informs Betty that he and Bret used to make bets with each other about sleeping with girls. 
> 
> \- Betty admits she cheated before she was married.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope this chapter was okay. I'm nervous about it for a bunch of different reasons, but I also love it very much. I hope you did too. <3 as always, come talk to me on tumblr @tk-strand or find me on my nearly nonexistent twitter and teach me how to stan twitter @buckleystrands. <3

**Author's Note:**

> as always you can find me on tumblr @ lana-luthor :)


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